Facebook Pauses Use of WhatsApp Data Amid U.K. Privacy Probe
- U.K. regulator vows to keep pushing to get more user control
- Data use without valid consent may face ‘enforcement action’
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Facebook Inc. agreed to suspend its planned use of data from U.K. users of its WhatsApp messaging service for advertising purposes, the nation’s privacy watchdog said as it vowed to “keep pushing” so people get more control.
“We’ve set out the law clearly to Facebook, and we’re pleased that they’ve agreed to pause using data from U.K. WhatsApp users for advertisements or product improvement purposes,” U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said in a blog post Monday. “We have now asked Facebook and WhatsApp to sign an undertaking committing to better explaining to customers how their data will be used.”