The Irish Data Protection Commission imposed a fine of 225 million euros on Facebook subsidiary WhatsApp on Thursday 2 September.
The decision follows an investigation carried out at the request of the European Commission, which was concerned about the protection of users’ personal data after the instant messaging application changed its terms of use (see EUROPE 12671/39).
In the wake of this announcement, the European Data Protection Board (EPDB) asked the Irish authority to clarify the amount of the fine, suggesting that Facebook’s turnover should be taken into account when calculating operating revenues.
WhatsApp now has six months to comply. This deadline could be reduced, as the EPDB has already called on the Irish authority to grant only a three-month deadline.
In July, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and eight of its members also announced that they had filed complaints against WhatsApp with the European Commission, claiming that the messaging app had pressured its users to accept its new rules and policies (see EUROPE 12760/11). (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)