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EU Accuses Facebook Of Giving Misleading Information During WhatsApp Takeover (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the steering-clear dept.

The European Commission has charged Facebook with providing misleading information during its takeover of the online messaging service WhatsApp, opening the company to a possible fine of 1 percent of its turnover. From a report on Reuters: The statement of objections sent to Facebook will not have an impact on the approval of the $22 billion merger in 2014, the Commission said in a statement on Tuesday. Facebook becomes the latest Silicon Valley target of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, who has demanded Apple pay back $14 billion in taxes to Ireland and hit Google with two market abuse investigations. The issue regards a WhatsApp privacy policy change in August when it said it would share some users' phone numbers with parent company Facebook, triggering investigations by a number of EU data protection authorities. The Commission said Facebook had indicated in its notification of the planned acquisition that it would be unable reliably to match the two companies' user accounts. "In today's Statement of Objections, the Commission takes the preliminary view that, contrary to Facebook's statements and reply during the merger review, the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook users' IDs with WhatsApp users' IDs already existed in 2014," it said.

27 comments

  1. And whachagonnado? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Like Billy Davis proclaimed!

  2. EVERYTHING about facebook was and is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stolen idea, how could FB possibly be worth A TRILLION dollars? How can any website be worth a TRILLION
    How is it possible they have a BILLION active users when (people like me) have never once used it?

     

    1. Re:EVERYTHING about facebook was and is misleading by jgullstr · · Score: 3, Informative

      How is it possible they have a BILLION active users when (people like me) have never once used it?

      Even if there are 6.4 BILLION people like you, they could still have a billion active users. Also, your trillion dollar claim is invalid, Facebook is valued at around 350 billion.

    2. Re:EVERYTHING about facebook was and is misleading by jgullstr · · Score: 1

      According to the rest of the world, around 3.5 billion are, "dumbass".

    3. Re:EVERYTHING about facebook was and is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Here Let me Google that for you

      https://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+many...

      Dumbass

  3. FFS by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 0
    Of course there's absolutely no way the company could correlate the two accounts based on the information in their profiles /sarcasm. OK people who deliberately obfuscate themselves online it would be very difficult to match them up but the vast majority of the rest of the users will have filled out their details accurately and used the email and probably the same god damned password they will be easy to match up

    Basically the EU's anti trust chief is as tech savvy as my 40 years dead grandmother.

    --

    Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.

    1. Re: FFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Never mind the tracking information left on a user's system by both apps. No way the company that owns both services could ever correlate tier own tracking data right?

    2. Re:FFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course there's absolutely no way the company could correlate the two accounts based on the information in their profiles /sarcasm. OK people who deliberately obfuscate themselves online it would be very difficult to match them up but the vast majority of the rest of the users will have filled out their details accurately and used the email and probably the same god damned password they will be easy to match up

      Basically the EU's anti trust chief is as tech savvy as my 40 years dead grandmother.

      Or they knew perfectly well Facebook was lying, and waited until now so they could slap them with a fine. The EU would never be able to prove with certainty Facebook could link to WhatsApp accounts, Facebook would just deny it. Now Facbook is dumb enough to admit it, so they get a fine. Although it should be far higher imho.

  4. Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have no fear! Trump is here! Everything will be great again in just a few more weeks!

  5. Snopes by slapout · · Score: 0

    Snopes labels this as fake news...

    --
    Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
    1. Re:Snopes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it doesn't. ... and the source is Reuters. Which still does journalism. TFA has three proper journalists credited - who we imagine checked it with the EC before publishing.

    2. Re:Snopes by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      Snopes isn't always right. Certainly not about breaking stories like these.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re:Snopes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Link?

    4. Re:Snopes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize this is a joke right? Because Facebook just made a deal with Snopes to find fake news.

    5. Re:Snopes by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      No it doesn't. ... and the source is Reuters

      Reuters is a bastion of fake news, just like AFP, Canadian Press, and so on. Don't believe? Well that's too bad, I'm a professional fact checker, it's always right. And I'm just as good as ABC news or snopes. Now bow before my prowess.

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      Om, nomnomnom...
  6. Update: Facebook's reply by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

    "EU,,, u is tots rong. Were u get ur news, facebook?" ;)

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  7. Margrethe Vestager is a star by Rumagent · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Best thing to come out the EU in a very long time. A person of integrity that cares more about the rule of law than whatever is convenient for random megacorp.

    1. Re:Margrethe Vestager is a star by GNious · · Score: 1

      Fully expected a post like that to be instantly buried ...

  8. "Bu- bu- but--" by mujadaddy · · Score: 0

    "But the American corporation told us what we wanted to hear!?!?!?!?"

    --
    Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur...
    "Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
    1. Re:"Bu- bu- but--" by jgullstr · · Score: 1

      And now they possibly face a 100M fine for lying about it. If they do get fined, maybe next company will live up to their claims.

    2. Re:"Bu- bu- but--" by mujadaddy · · Score: 1

      A toothless, feel-like-they've-addressed-the-problem fine... Facebook can pay that ten times a year and still make a profit from its users. Doubtless, teams of lawyers will be able to whittle that amount down, as well.

      --
      Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur...
      "Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
  9. Re:Is the EU just shaking down US companies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nope, it just goes after companies that violate the law. Most companies hit with regulatory action by the EC are European, but they probably don't make the news as much where you live.

    The EU does not abuse regulatory action as a means of protectionism, like the US does.

  10. Unreliably match user accounts? by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

    The phrase "it would be unable reliably to match the two companies' user accounts" stands out. Given the data mining capabilities of these corporations, I can't quite believe that. That matching phone number in both Whatsapp and Facebook, nah there is not way we could use that as a linking piece of data?

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    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
  11. oh christ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even the EU is bitching about fake news now.