GDPR

WhatsApp fined $267 million for breaching EU privacy law

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been fined €225 million ($267 million) for breaking the European Union’s data privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced the decision in an 89-page summary (PDF), noting that WhatsApp did not properly inform EU citizens how it handles their personal data, including how it…

Published 5 years ago in
WhatsApp fined $267 million for breaching EU privacy law

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been fined €225 million ($267 million) for breaking the European Union’s data privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced the decision in an 89-page summary (PDF), noting that WhatsApp did not properly inform EU citizens how it handles their personal data, including how it shares that information with its parent company.
WhatsApp has been ordered to make updates to its already lengthy privacy policy and change how it notifies users about sharing their data. This will bring it into compliance with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which governs how tech companies gather and use data in the EU. GDPR came into effect in May of 2018, and WhatsApp was one of the first…

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GDPR

Tech Tuesday: Data privacy and synthetic data generation tools

Data has become simultaneously the most valuable asset most organisations own and the most heavily regulated one. GDPR fines exceeded €4.5 billion cumulatively by early 2026. The EU AI Act’s classification of training data quality as a high-risk system requirement has made data provenance a legal obligation rather than a best practice…

Published 2 weeks ago in
Tech Tuesday: Data privacy and synthetic data generation tools

Data has become simultaneously the most valuable asset most organisations own and the most heavily regulated one. GDPR fines exceeded €4.5 billion cumulatively by early 2026. The EU AI Act’s classification of training data quality as a high-risk system requirement has made data provenance a legal obligation rather than a best practice…
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GDPR

Researcher reveals official White House app is one command away from tracking your precise location every 4.5 minutes – app can also inject code to dodge cookie consent, GDPR banners, and paywalls

White House app contains code to hide cookie options, GDPR banners, and paywalls – and collects extensive user data…

Published 2 months ago in
Researcher reveals official White House app is one command away from tracking your precise location every 4.5 minutes – app can also inject code to dodge cookie consent, GDPR banners, and paywalls

White House app contains code to hide cookie options, GDPR banners, and paywalls – and collects extensive user data…
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GDPR

Viva la revolución: LinkedIn profile visitor lists belong to the people, says Noyb

GDPR Article 15 doesn’t care if you want to make money by selling users’ data back to them A LinkedIn feature the average non-paying user likely only glances past could end up setting a legal precedent in the EU regarding how companies treat customer data that they’ve processed. …

Published 2 months ago in
Viva la revolución: LinkedIn profile visitor lists belong to the people, says Noyb

GDPR Article 15 doesn’t care if you want to make money by selling users’ data back to them A LinkedIn feature the average non-paying user likely only glances past could end up setting a legal precedent in the EU regarding how companies treat customer data that they’ve processed. …
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GDPR

Estonia is the rare EU country opposing bans on children’s social media use

In short: Estonia and Belgium are the only two EU member states to have declined the Jutland Declaration, an October 2025 pan-European commitment to restrict children’s access to social media. Estonia’s ministers argue that age-based bans are unenforceable, that children will find ways around them, and that the correct approach is to enforce the GDPR against

Published 2 months ago in
Estonia is the rare EU country opposing bans on children’s social media use

In short: Estonia and Belgium are the only two EU member states to have declined the Jutland Declaration, an October 2025 pan-European commitment to restrict children’s access to social media. Estonia’s ministers argue that age-based bans are unenforceable, that children will find ways around them, and that the correct approach is to enforce the GDPR against […]
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