The consumer groups urged the European network of consumer authorities and EU data protection authorities to work together to address these privacy and consumer rights concerns. WhatsApp for Android is getting a bunch of new features thanks to a new beta update.
We would welcome an opportunity to explain the update to BEUC to clarify what it means for people." "The update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook, and does not impact the privacy of your messages with friends or family, wherever they are in the world. "BEUC's action is based on a misunderstanding of the purpose and effect of the update to our terms of service," a spokesperson said. The update is to comply with a ruling from Irish regulators who slapped the chat service with a record fine for breaching strict EU data privacy rules. WhatsApp has updated its privacy policy to be more transparent to users following a record 225m (£188m) fine and reprimand from regulators earlier this year. This ambiguity amounts to a breach of EU consumer law which obliges companies to use clear and transparent contract terms and commercial communications," they said.įacebook said BEUC has got the issue wrong. "WhatsApp has failed to explain in plain and intelligible language the nature of the changes. As such, they are a breach of the EU Directive on Unfair Commercial Practices," the groups said in a joint statement. Missed a call on WhatsApp Update your app and it wont be a problem USE WHATSAPP to make video calls all the time A brand-new button has arrived to make the feature much more useful.
"The content of these notifications, their nature, timing and recurrence put an undue pressure on users and impair their freedom of choice. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and eight of its members criticised the changes and filed complaints with the European Commission and the European network of consumer authorities, saying WhatsApp was unfairly pressuring users to accept its new policies.