WhatsApp Fined $266 Million Over Data Transparency Breaches
- Facebook-owned app’s first fine under EU data protection rules
- Irish probe found problems with data-sharing communication
The logo for Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp messaging app
Photographer: Brent Lewin/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp was ordered to pay a 225 million-euro ($266 million) penalty for failing to be transparent about how it handled personal information, its first fine under beefed-up European Union data protection law.
The Irish Data Protection Commission -- Silicon Valley’s main privacy watchdog in Europe -- said it found violations in the way WhatsApp explained how it processed users’ and non-users’ data, as well as how data was shared between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies.