Privacy, Consumer Coalition Urging FTC to Probe WhatsApp-Facebook Sharing User Data
A coalition of 17 consumer and privacy groups is supporting a complaint by the Center for Digital Democracy and Electronic Privacy Information Center urging the FTC to investigate -- and enjoin -- WhatsApp's privacy policy changes that would permit the…
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sharing of some user information with parent Facebook (see 1609070022 and 1608250027). In a Thursday letter to Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, the groups, including CDD and EPIC, said WhatsApp's policy change would violate previous commitments not to use or disclose user phone numbers and other personal information for marketing purposes when Facebook acquired the messaging service in 2014. "WhatsApp's reversal on this promise is a material, retroactive change that will apply to previously collected data," the letter said. "Contrary to FTC policy, WhatsApp does not intend to provide clear notice or obtain customers' affirmative express consent -- i.e., opt-in consent -- before implementing these changes for previously collected information." The coalition said the changes are "buried" in WhatsApp's lengthy revised policy, giving consumers 30 days to opt-out. The groups -- including Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Watchdog, Demand Progress, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and U.S. Public Interest Research Group -- also said the EU is investigating the changes. An FTC spokesman declined to comment.