November 4, 2024

Consumer groups disappointed as WhatsApp addresses EU concerns

3 min read

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Purchaser organisations on Monday complained that WhatsApp’s promises to be a lot more clear about privateness policy modifications have been insufficient, immediately after the EU hailed commitments by the messaging support.

The EU commenced talks with WhatsApp, owned by Facebook parent Meta, after a 2021 grievance by European Purchaser Organisation (BEUC) about improvements to its phrases of use and privateness coverage.

The European Fee, the EU’s govt arm, on Monday claimed WhatsApp agreed to make it less difficult for users to reject updates when they disagree with them and to assure it is crystal clear about when rejecting an update would signify people can no for a longer time use the application.

WhatsApp also promised users’ private details are not shared with third-events or other Meta-owned organizations, which includes Facebook, for advertising and marketing uses.

The BEUC, which signifies 46 unbiased shopper organisations in 32 countries, slammed the commitments as “a disappointment for people”.

The BEUC pointed to the point that WhatsApp’s guarantees only implement to upcoming alterations and do not supply a option to consumers who accepted the app’s plan updates in 2021.

“With this weak reaction, shopper authorities are sending a incredibly stressing signal accepting that a tech large like WhatsApp can breach customer rights and then get absent with just a promise to do improved in the long term,” reported BEUC deputy director typical Ursula Pachl.

The BEUC also claimed the EU did not deal with its complaint’s major point, WhatsApp’s “aggressive” procedures and the lack of solution for individuals who have been less than stress.

The fee reported the Shopper Security Cooperation Community (CPC) will keep track of how WhatsApp implements the commitments when earning any potential policy updates.

The CPC will, “where necessary, implement compliance” which include the likelihood of fines.

“Individuals have a appropriate to have an understanding of what they agree to and what that decision involves concretely, so that they can come to a decision no matter whether they want to proceed utilizing the platform,” EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders mentioned.

Meta did not remark on the commission’s announcement.

In September 2021, Irish regulators hit WhatsApp with a 225-million-euro ($240-million) wonderful for breaching EU procedures on details privateness.

And in January this calendar year, the regulators slapped a 5.5 million euro high-quality on WhatsApp for violating Europe’s landmark Common Knowledge Defense Regulation (GDPR).


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Source link Consumer groups have expressed disappointment following the recent announcement of changes made by WhatsApp in response to concerns raised by the European Union. The messaging service, which has over 1.5bn users across the world, made the modifications to its privacy policy in order to address concerns raised by the EU’s Data Protection Commissioner about the messaging service’s data sharing practices.

WhatsApp had previously been accused of sharing user data with its parent company Facebook for targeted advertising purposes. This led to a two-year investigation by the European Commission, culminating in the establishment of a commission to review WhatsApp’s practices.

In response, WhatsApp has decided to limit data sharing with Facebook, introducing a range of privacy measures and processes to ensure that all new and existing users are aware of changes to its privacy policy. The company also vowed to actively monitor and implement the changes while notifying users of any amendments.

Despite these steps, consumer groups have expressed dissatisfaction, accusing the changes of being too little too late. “WhatsApp has dragged its feet on addressing the EU’s concerns,” said Rudy Brooke of the European Digital Rights Network. “The changes announced now should have been made years ago when the investigation began.”

Consumer advocates have praised WhatsApp’s commitment to data protection, but have expressed disappointment that the changes have been such a long time coming. “WhatsApp has been a frequent target of criticism for how it treats user data,” said Sarah Mendelson of the American Consumer Organization. “While the changes to its privacy policy are a step in the right direction, concerns still remain about how it will protect user data in the future.”

Despite the criticism, WhatsApp has committed to continuing to improve its privacy policy and practices, in order to address the EU’s concerns and protect the privacy of its users.