Security News > 2021 > May > Germany Halts Facebook Sharing WhatsApp Data
A German regulator on Tuesday slapped a three-month ban on Facebook collecting user data from WhatsApp accounts and referred the case to an EU watchdog, citing concerns about election integrity.
The head of the German regulator, Johannes Caspar, said past Facebook data protection breaches as well as Germany's general election in September showed the "Dangers" of "Mass building of user profiles" that could be exploited.
WhatsApp on Friday stepped back from its plan to require users to accept the new terms, which critics said could expand data collection from its two billion users around the world.
A WhatsApp spokesman said the update would not allow additional passing of user information from the service to Facebook's other applications.
"Your acceptance of the new Terms of Service does not expand WhatsApp's ability to share user data with its parent company Facebook," he said.
WhatsApp said the German order "Is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose and effect of WhatsApp's update and therefore has no legitimate basis".