Data Protection Supervisor prohibits Facebook-WhatsApp data exchange

[Sunrocks]

(Bild: dpa, Martin Gerten)

 

Hamburgs data protection commissioner forbids Facebook to exchange or save data from German Whatsapp users. Already saved or exchanged data must be deleted.

In Germany around 35 million people use Whatsapp. The commissioner says that all user should be able to decide on their own if they want to connect their Facebook with their Whatsapp.  Right now users were just able to not get personalized ads or friend suggestions. The mobile number was shared anyways.

 

 

Quote

Eine Sprecherin von Facebook erklärte dazu, dass sich das soziale Netzwerk an europäisches Datenschutzrecht halte. "Wir sind offen, mit der Hamburger Datenschutzbehörde zusammenzuarbeiten, um ihre Fragen zu klären und Bedenken auszuräumen", hieß es. Ob der Datenaustausch zwischen Whatsapp und Facebook nun erstmal gestoppt werde, ließ die Sprecherin offen.

Rough translation:

(A Facebook spokeswoman explained that the social network adheres to european law. "We are open to cooperate with Hamburg's data data protections agency to clarify their questions and to remove any concerns" If the data exchange between Whatsapp and Facebook will be stopped by now was left open by the spokeswoman.)

 

Quote

„This administrative order protects the data of about 35 million WhatsApp users in Germany. It has to be their decision, whether they want to connect their account with Facebook. Therefore, Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance. This has not happened. In addition, there are many millions of people whose contact details were uploaded to WhatsApp from the user's address books, although they might not even have a connection to Facebook or WhatsApp. According to Facebook, this gigantic amount of data has not yet been collected. Facebook's answer, that this has merely not been done for the time being, is cause for concern that the gravity of the data protection breach will have much a more severe impact."

 

German data protection is very strong and will be. The personal rights of the individual will be nearly always more important than companies interests. This will be the first step to stop Facebooks plans for data gathering. We will see if the European Commision wil also take care of this case.

 

Source: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Datenschutzbeauftragter-verbietet-Facebook-WhatsApp-Datenabgleich-3332833.html

 

Official Statement https://www.datenschutz-hamburg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Press_Release_2016-09-27_Adminstrative_Order_Facebook_WhatsApp.pdf

[ManIkWeet]

The data is very sensitive: Even if you've never used Facebook, they will be able to link you through your WhatsApp contacts. They will know your name, phonenumber, contacts and eventually location. Based on location they can figure out your family, interests, job and lifestyle. Once they've gotten that information, they will look through photos that are posted by friends/family and figure out what you look like (and gender), combined with photo metadata that is usually attached. By then they have a complete Facebook account without you ever making one. They can now use this information to do research, sell advertisements, suggest gifts to relatives etc.

 

All that by simply linking your phone number and name... Data mining is the biggest market available.

[zMeul]

and people thought routers made by Google was a good idea .. what the shit!

[Doobeedoo]

Yeah this FB-Whatsapp thing not liking it. Back to Viber ?

[Ronda]

Germany seems to be the only country actively doing something about mass surveillance.

You would think that people would be able to tell it's a bad idea without having been subjected to a communist police state, but even other former Eastern block countries don't give a crap. We really don't deserve democracy.

[Zodiark1593]

Unless someone were to link this account with my name, anything Facebook gets is simply fabricated information. 

[tlink]

wish my country did this. having a hard time switching people over to any other IM app with end to end encryption because of whatsapp their strong userbase.

[Dabombinable]

Can they stop FB from being some how able to access your completely unrelated (not connected to anything that's connected to FB) emails for friend suggestions?

[Sunrocks]

Everybody knew that this was coming. But the problem is how. Without letting the user choose what they want to share or if they want to connect. Everybody who wants that should be allowed to do so. But the people who don't want to should hava a choice.

I am sure  the US or other countries outside the EU will not do anything against this. Seems like just the EU likes giving Facebook and Whatsapp a hard time