German watchdog bans Facebook from processing Whatsapp data

A German privacy regulator banned Facebook on Tuesday from gathering data on WhatsApp users, citing an update to its privacy policy that breaches stringent European data protection rules by allowing access to a lot more information on the chat app’s users

LONDON -- A German privacy regulator banned Facebook on Tuesday from gathering data on WhatsApp users, citing an update to its privacy policy that breaches stringent European data protection rules by allowing access to a lot more information on the chat app's users. Hamburg's data protection commissioner said it took action because WhatsApp users were being asked to agree by May 15 to the new terms, which would hand it expanded powers to share data with Facebook. “The order is intended to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the many millions of users who approve to the terms of use throughout Germany," Johannes Caspar, Hamburg’s commissioner for data protection and freedom of information, said in a statement. WhatsApp users are confronted “with non-transparent conditions for far-reaching data transfer,” the regulator said. It also noted users can't freely consent to the changes because WhatsApp demands they accept in order to continue using the service.