Privacy Breach: Ireland Fines WhatsApp $266 Million
WhatsApp has been fined the sum of 225 million-euro ($266 million) by the Republic of Ireland’s data protection regulator after the body was pressured by the European Union’s (EU) privacy watchdog to increase the penalty for the company’s privacy breaches.
Ireland imposed the fine on the company on Thursday.
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WhatsApp, which is owned by parent company Facebook, replied saying the fine was “entirely disproportionate” and that they intend to appeal.
According to Reuters, Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) said the issues are related to whether WhatsApp conformed to the EU’s data rules on transparency in 2018.
“This includes information provided to data subjects about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies,” said the DPC.
The EU’s privacy watchdog, European Data Protection Board, said it had given the DPC several tips to address the criticism from its peers for not fining them enough for breaches and for taking too long to decide in cases involving tech giants.
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It said taking into account Facebook’s turnover, the company should be given three months instead of six to comply.
A spokesperson for WhatsApp said, however, that the company had provided comprehensive information regarding the issues in question related to the 2018 policies.
“We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate,” said the spokesperson.
The DPC has 14 other major open inquiries into Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram as at the end of last year.
