WhatsApp Ordered To Stop Sharing User Data With Facebook (theverge.com)

France's privacy watchdog CNIL has ordered WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with its parent company Facebook. According to a public notice posted on the French website, WhatsApp has a month to comply with the order. The Verge reports: The query began after WhatsApp added to its terms of service last year that it shares data with Facebook to develop targeted advertising, security measures, and to gather business intelligence. Upon investigating these claims, the CNIL ruled that while WhatsApp's intention of improving security measures was valid, the app's business intelligence reason wasn't as acceptable. After all, WhatsApp never told its users it was collecting data for business intelligence and there's no way to opt out without uninstalling the app. That violates "the fundamental freedoms of users," said the CNIL.

Comments

Bullshit

[Rick Zeman]

"After all, WhatsApp never told its users it was collecting data for business intelligence and there's no way to opt out without uninstalling the app. That violates "the fundamental freedoms of users," said the CNIL."

No, that's the "trying to have your cake and it it, too" freedom. If it's free, you're the product. No way around that, short of opting out. If enough people do it, well, then the business model might change.

Re:Bullshit

[Baron_Yam]

Businesses operate within the rules of society, their society has different rules than yours.

Just because you don't approve doesn't mean they can't do it.

Re: What is a WhatsApp?

[TechyImmigrant]

if you are so tech illiterate to not know what facebook or WhatsApp are then don't read the story, tech is not for you.

Not so fast there. 30 years in the tech industry. Designing leading edge silicon products. There is no future in light entertainment for me. WhatsApp is just another program that runs on a phone. It's entirely reasonable to not know what it is, while knowing you could find out if you needed too.

Us old techies use signal anyway.

Re: What is a WhatsApp?

[TechyImmigrant]

Nope. Not at all. Technology is a big subject. Contrary to what seems to pass for tech knowledge these days, phone apps do not comprise the entirety of technology. The size of a user base doesn't really count as a technical matter. Here's a contrary example: The key agreement protocol used in a messaging apps are gloriously technical. I can prattle on about the authentication and key agreement protocols in messaging apps all day.

Accusing people of ignorance based on transient criteria, now that's a character flaw.