WhatsApp is now being sued in Germany on grounds of collecting and sharing user data without formal consent.
Here’s one update WhatsApp didn’t want to provide in 2017; the Facebook-owned instant messaging app is now being sued in Germany on allegations that it is collecting and sharing user data with Facebook without user consent.
The news originates to WhatsApp’s terms and conditions of service, which were appended last year to share user information with Facebook for the purposes of improving the social experience on the latter platform.
Read: Facebook debuts Messenger Lite ““ a data-savvy version of its popular app
In doing so, WhatsApp distributes the phone numbers of each user’s contacts to Facebook, even if the numbers in question do not correspond to an active WhatsApp user who, by virtue of not using the app, have not opted-in to the process.
The lawsuit further covers the grounds that users who opted out of Facebook’s data sharing programme have no way to cease sharing their information entirely.
In September of 2016, government bodies in Germany ordered Facebook to cease collecting and storing WhatsApp user data, while the European Commission accused Facebook of giving “incorrect or misleading information” in December of the same year.
The Federation of German Consumer Organizations has filed for an injunction to cease data sharing and, further, aims to compel facebook to delete all data garnered from German users. WhatsApp, in response, has maintained that its privacy policy and terms are “compliant with established laws and EU regulatory guidelines”.
Read: Facebook‘s user base soars in South Africa, while Twitter faces slowing growth
What are your thoughts? Should Facebook be able to harvest user data from acquired platforms to streamline the experience on its core site? Should there be a way to opt-out from data sharing entirely? We want to know your opinion – leave it in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
