Facebook's Battle in Germany Is a Thorn in WhatsApp Integration

Facebook must get users’ OK to link Instagram, WhatsApp data
German antitrust battle adds new front to privacy warfare

German Federal Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt discusses the cartel’s probe of Facebook.Source: Bloomberg)

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By Aoife White, Stephanie Bodoni, and Stefan Nicola

February 7, 2019 at 3:14 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Facebook Inc. is fast becoming a European regulatory punching bag, just as it’s trying to boost the value of its lucrative targeted advertising by combining user data with its Instagram and WhatsApp services.

Germany’s antitrust authority on Thursday ordered the social network to stop its current tracking of German users online outside its own site unless it seeks consent for gathering and using data. The Federal Cartel Office said Facebook will need each user to sign off on linking their Facebook accounts with Instagram and WhatsApp data or keep the data separate.