€225 million fine on WhatsApp: Irish regulators slapped a €225 million fine on Facebook-owned WhatsApp for breaking data protection rules.
The DPC levied the fine because WhatsApp Ireland did not give users the necessary information about their data protection rights or abide by their transparency obligations. The DPC has previously only ever fined companies €1 million, but this is the second-largest fine to be given to an organization under the EU’s data protection laws.
Ireland imposes a €225 million fine on WhatsApp
WhatsApp was hit with a €225 million penalty by Ireland for breaking data protection laws.
The judgment found that WhatsApp: didn’t make the use of user data transparent; didn’t provide details on the way their data was collected, or where it was stored and for what purpose; failed to offer information on how users could contact someone, who the data belonged to, and who would have access to it; and failed to disclose when their data was obtained and processed from third parties.
In 2018, the DPC was ordered to reevaluate and increase its initial proposal for a penalty. Based on that, they arrived at the €225 million figure.
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WhatsApp insists that the penalty is “excessive” and it plans to contest it. A company representative declared in a statement that the relevant issues were policies put in place in 2018, said “WhatsApp is committed to providing a secure and private service. We have worked to ensure the information we provide is transparent and comprehensive and will continue to do so,”