WhatsApp adding details to privacy policy for EU users after Ireland imposes record fine

Meta-owned WhatsApp is adding more details to its privacy policy and even flagging that information for European users in the wake of Irish regulators imposing a record fine on the online chat service for violating strict EU data privacy rules. A report by AP stated that starting November 22, WhatsApp’s privacy policy will be reorganized to provide additional information on the data that the platform’s collects and how it is used. Reportedly, the company also said that it is giving a detailed explanation about how it protects the information shared across borders for its global service and the legal foundations for processing the data. 

Through an update, WhatsApp allowed the users in Europe to see a banner notification at the top of their chat list that will take them to the fresh information about data. As per the report by AP, the online chat service is taking the action after getting slapped with a record 225 million euro or $267 million fine in September from Ireland’s data privacy watchdog for breaching the strict data protection rules on data of the European Union (EU). At the time, WhatsApp had said that it disagreed with the decision but noted that it had to comply by updating its policy while it appeals. 

However, the update does not affect how the data is handled and the users are not required to agree to anything new or take any other action. It is also pertinent to note that Ireland’s Data Privacy Commission is the lead privacy regulator for the chat service under the EU rules because the company is headquartered in Dublin. 

WhatsApp update earlier this year drew fire

Additionally, WhatsApp was also rocked with a separate privacy controversy earlier this year when it mismanaged a different update to its privacy policy that raised concerns over users being forced to agree to share additional information with Facebook. 

That update triggered a severe backlash from its users who were seen switching to WhatsApp’s rivals such as Telegram and Signal. It also led to Turkey’s competition watchdog opening an investigation, a temporary German ban on gathering data along with a complaint by EU consumer groups. Ap stated that a six-hour outage of Meta Platform’s services last month underscored how crucial WhatsApp has become of over 2 billion users across the globe.

(IMAGE: Unsplash/AP)