WhatsApp latest Meta platform sanctioned in EU data protection row

 

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner announced a €5.5 million sanction against WhatsApp on Thursday (19 January), following similar decisions against Facebook and Instagram.

The legal basis WhatsApp uses for processing personal data was found in breach of EU law. The company now has six months to implement corrective measures, namely to find a new legal basis.

The decision followed on a series of similar complaints filed by the NGO NOYB, led by notorious Austrian activist Max Schrems, who challenged the way Meta’s platforms complied with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). (...)