WhatsApp breaches EU privacy laws, faces 225mn Euro fine from Ireland | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

WhatsApp breaches EU privacy laws, faces 225mn Euro fine from Ireland

AFP |
Sep 02, 2021 06:18 PM IST

Ireland's Data Protection Commission was entrusted with the case because Facebook's European headquarters are situated in the country.

Ireland on Thursday slapped Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service with a record fine for breaching EU data privacy laws after European regulators demanded the penalty be increased.

Ireland has come under pressure for not taking a firm enough line against tech giants, who are generally understood to be drawn to the country by its low corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent.(Reuters)
Ireland has come under pressure for not taking a firm enough line against tech giants, who are generally understood to be drawn to the country by its low corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent.(Reuters)

Ireland's Data Protection Commission was entrusted with the case because Facebook's European headquarters are situated in the country.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

"And following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million euros ($267 million) on WhatsApp," the commission said, by far the largest penalty it has ever issued to a company, dwarfing the 450,000-euro fine imposed on Twitter last year.

As Ireland hosts the regional headquarters of a number of major tech players such as Apple, Google and Twitter, the DPC has been largely responsible for policing adherence to the EU's landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) charter.

But Ireland has come under pressure for not taking a firm enough line against tech giants, who are generally understood to be drawn to the country by its low corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent.

WhatsApp said it would appeal the decision.

"We disagree with the decision today" it said in a statement, calling the penalties "entirely disproportionate."

'Dissuasive fine'

The DPC launched the WhatsApp probe in December 2018 to examine whether the messaging app "discharged its GDPR transparency obligations" with regard to telling users how their data would be processed between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies.

In an initial finding submitted to other European regulators for approval last December, the DPC proposed imposing a fine of between 30 and 50 million euros, but a number of national regulators rejected the figure, triggering the launch of a dispute resolution process in June.

Last month, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) instructed the DPC to increase the fine, with Germany's regulator leading the calls for the penalty to be higher.

The EDPB said that the fine had to "reflect a significant level of non-compliance which impact on all of the processing carried out by WhatsApp" in Ireland.

The fine had to be "effective, dissuasive and proportionate," it said.

Hailed as a potent weapon to bring tech titans to heel, the GDPR endowed national watchdogs with cross-border powers and the possibility to impose sizeable fines for data misuse.

But Germany's data protection commissioner, Ulrich Kelber, in March wrote an open letter criticising the DPC for the "extremely slow" way it handled GDPR complaints.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On