Facebook Dodges EU Ban on WhatsApp Data as Scrutiny Heats Up

  • Data chiefs reject Hamburg watchdog’s bid for EU-wide order
  • Data chiefs decide Irish regulator should investigate data-use
Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
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Facebook Inc. escaped a possible European Union ban on its use of WhatsApp customer data but faces an investigation of new terms and services that have sparked outrage among consumer-rights campaigners.

The European Data Protection Board, a panel of EU authorities, on Thursday said Facebook’s practices linked to WhatsApp data should be examined “as a matter of priority” by the Irish privacy watchdog, its main regulator in the region.