Around WhatsApp a real ruckus in the last few weeks, after the company has changed the terms and privacy policies by requiring data sharing with Facebook (its parent company), under penalty of inability to use the app. It is, as noted immediately and further pointed out in a dedicated news, of a provision that does not affect Europe . Or rather, the terms must be accepted to continue using the service, but the extent of the data exchange between WhatsApp and Facebook is smaller than the rest of the world – and certainly does not imply that you must have an FB account to use WhatsApp, like some people. have understood.

“ There are no changes to how WhatsApp data is shared in the European Region , including the UK, resulting from the updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, “the company explained. “ We do not share European area user data with Facebook for the purpose of allowing Facebook to use such data to improve its products or advertisements “.

” Today, Facebook does not use your WhatsApp account information to improve your experiences with Facebook products. future we decide to share such data with Facebook companies for this purpose, we will only after reaching an agreement with the Irish Data Protection Commission “.

Nevertheless, there has been a real rush to open accounts with Telegram and Signal , with the two services experiencing an incredible boom, with millions of new users. A confusion that attracted the attention of the Privacy Guarantor in Italy , who decided to put in place an urgent procedure to investigate what happened.

“The message with which WhatsApp warned its users of the updates that will be made, from 8 February, in the terms of service – in particular with regard to the sharing of data with other group companies – and the same information on the treatment that will be done of their personal data, are unclear and intelligible and must be carefully evaluated in light of the regulations on privacy. For this reason the Guarantor for the protection of personal data has brought the matter to ‘attention of the Edpb, the Board that brings together the European privacy authorities “, reads a note.

“The Guarantor believes that from the terms of service and the new information it is not possible for users to understand which changes have been introduced, nor to clearly understand which data processing will be in co ncreto made by the messaging service after 8 February. This information does not therefore appear to be suitable for allowing WhatsApp users to express a free and aware will. The Guarantor still reserves the right to intervene, as a matter of urgency, to protect Italian users and to enforce the rules on the protection of personal data “.

It is not clear what the effects of the procedure will be, but WhatsApp added that” the updating of the privacy policies does not affect the privacy of messages with friends and family “. Neither WhatsApp, nor Facebook, have access to the private messages of users , and all audio and video conversations remain totally private. User logs related to messages or calls also remain private, and are not saved remotely. The same happens with shared locations, contact information and group participation, data that all remain absolutely private and owned only and exclusively by the directly concerned.

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