After the notice in the app that the privacy policy for WhatsApp is changing, there is confusion about what now applies to users in the European Union. It is clear that the data protection guideline has been revised. Users must agree to the changed terms of use by February 8, otherwise they will no longer be able to use Messenger. According to a Facebook spokeswoman, the information WhatsApp shares with other Facebook companies has not changed; This also means that they are shared, but with restrictions.

If you follow the links in the window that pops up, you end up at the terms of use and must first see if it is about those that apply to the EU or outside the EU. That can be selected. The data protection declaration valid in this country is with EWR-Feb. 2021 titled.

Third-party providers and Facebook companies Under the section “Third-party providers” it says that Whatsapp works with third-party providers and other Facebook companies, ” that help us operate, offer, improve, understand, customize, support and market our services “. And further, that a paragraph below explains how WhatsApp works with other Facebook companies. So the part that has changed according to the message window. Whoever clicks on this link again lands on the page on which it says again:

” As part of the Facebook companies, WhatsApp receives information from other Facebook companies and also shares information with other Facebook companies to promote the safety and integrity of all Facebook company products; B. WhatsApp takes action against spam, threats, abuse or infringements of rights.

WhatsApp also works with and shares information with the other Facebook companies so that they can help us operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support and market our services. ”

There follows the restriction that the information that WhatsApp passes on to Facebook is not for” Facebook’s own purposes. Company “may be used.

A Facebook spokeswoman assured heise online that the data transfer practices in the EU (including Great Britain) have not changed. “WhatsApp does not share user data with Facebook, so that Facebook can use this data to improve its products or advertisements.” Nevertheless, every user must agree to the change in the data protection guideline – and thus also to the transfer of data. The terms of use do not mention that users have so far been able to at least partially prevent the exchange of information. It is questionable whether this option will be retained in the settings.

The Hamburg data protection officer, Johannes Caspar, is currently examining the matter. He had already sued against the merging of data from the Facebook companies.

(emw)