WhatsApp Will Be Fined $267 Million after Breaching Privacy Laws in Europe

What a shocker! One of the best instant messaging social media handles WhatsApp has been hit with a fine of over €200 million, €225 million ($267 million) to be precise for breaching privacy rules of the European Union data.

WhatsApp Will Be Fined $267 Million after Breaching Privacy Laws in Europe

The DPC of Ireland announced the decision to fine WhatsApp via an 89-page summary in PDF. The commission noted that WhatsApp did not inform European citizens properly on how it handles their personal data. And also including how the information is shared with Facebook (its parent company).

WhatsApp Will Be Fined $267 Million after Breaching Privacy Laws in Europe

The social media giant, WhatsApp has been ordered to now make updates to its privacy policy and make changes to parts where it notifies users about their personal data being shared. The update will therefore bring WhatsApp privacy policy in accordance with Europe’s general data protection regulation (GDPR).

This body governs the manner in which tech companies collect and use data in the EU. In May 2018, GDPR came into effect and WhatsApp is one of the first companies to be hit with a fine under the regulation.

What WhatsApp Had To Say

In an email to the verge, a WhatsApp spokesperson said that the company will appeal the decision. In his words “WhatsApp is committed to providing a secure and private service. We have worked to ensure the information we provide is transparent and comprehensive and will continue to do so. We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate.”

This is not the first time a company has been hit with a fine under the GDPR guidelines. The decision by the DPC began in 2018 with an investigation. Amazon was also fined a record $887 million for breaking EU privacy laws.

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