German Gov’t Bans Facebook-WhatsApp Data Sharing In Country

German authorities have ordered Facebook to stop collecting data belonging to German users from WhatsApp and to delete all data that has already been forwarded to it.

In a statement published Tuesday, Germany’s privacy watchdog said that sharing WhatsApp user data with Facebook, the messaging app’s parent company, constitutes “an infringement of national data protection law.”

The two companies announced last month that WhatsApp would start handing over data about its users to Facebook. WhatsApp has said that the arrangement will allow Facebook to deliver more targeted advertising and friend suggestions, and that analytics data will help combat spam and fraud.

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Under the policy, WhatsApp will share some user data — including phone numbers — with Facebook, and plans to allow businesses to contact users directly through its app.

That agreement caused huge outrage, with many people arguing that such an arrangement shouldn’t be allowed. What’s more, it caused embarrassment for WhatsApp, which has in the past committed to keeping data private and not using its platform for ads.

Johannes Caspar, the Hamburg data protection commissioner, echoed those concerns in a statement on Tuesday, saying that Facebook has not “obtained effective approval” of the policy change from WhatsApp users. Caspar also expressed concern that Facebook may eventually seek to collect data on a broader range of users, including those listed in WhatsApp contacts lists who are not connected to Facebook.

“This administrative order protects the data of about 35 million WhatsApp users in Germany,” Caspar said. “It has to be their decision, whether they want to connect their account with Facebook. Therefore, Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance. This has not happened.”

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The Hamburg commissioner’s move comes after EU and U.S. regulators said they would scrutinize changes to privacy settings that WhatsApp made in August.

Facebook, the world’s biggest social network, bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock in an effort to reach a younger audience.

The California-based company, whose German operations are based in Hamburg, said they will resolve the situation with the German government.

“Facebook complies with EU data protection law,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an email statement.

“We will work with the Hamburg DPA in an effort to address their questions and resolve any concerns.”

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