back to article Germany calls halt to Facebook’s WhatsApp info slurp

A German privacy regulator has told Facebook to stop collecting user information from WhatsApp. Hamburg’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information issued an administrative order to immediately stop the collection and storage of data from German WhatsApp users. It also told Zuckerberg’s social media giant to …

  1. Vimes

    This only applies to Germany though? What about the rest of the EU?

    A month on and the best the ICO can do is regurgitate the same press release from back in August.

    https://twitter.com/ICOnews/status/780746235082862592

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It's German-only until a EU-wide decision is taken. The Italian Privacy watchdog is following the same line, maybe other will follow too.

    2. big_D Silver badge

      EU rules say that what Facebook is doing is illegal, but it is up to the respective member states DP organizations, working within the locally implemented laws, to take Facebook to task.

  2. Zzzzzzz

    Not collected?

    'According to Facebook, this gigantic amount of data has not yet been collected.'

    The day after the WhatsApp update (where I declined to share my info) I got a friend suggestion on Facebook for someone who I only communicate with on WhatsApp. Huge coincidence or Facebook being uneconomical with the truth?

    1. UkForest
      Pirate

      Re: Not collected?

      Hmmmm, I had EXACTLY the same thing happen to me. Even though they say they don't hold numbers etc they only had the link between the two from WhatsApp...

      Dirty b*ggers...

  3. nilfs2
    Facepalm

    Stop using Facebook and WhatsApp...

    ...problem solved!! If you are a user of any of those services, you are the one to blame for things like this, stop using Facebook services, there are better alternatives out there.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Stop using Facebook and WhatsApp...

      The very issue is you have to stop *others* using FB or WA while holding *your* data. You have no way to stop other people sharing their address book (which may hold your data) with WA, or upload a photo to FB where you are in (and FB will identify your face, etc.).

      I had to become so careful I have to ensure I delete any EXIF data from images I may give to friends (for which I have no copyright interest) because they may upload them to FB (or anything alike), guess I have to start to blur the faces of everybody also, but the "target" friends from now on...

      Because these companies are in the position of harvesting and storing data of people who never had, nor have, nor will have any agreement with them, it's time to make clear they have no right to do it, and they are liable if they do.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Stop using Facebook and WhatsApp...

        I had to become so careful I have to ensure I delete any EXIF data from images I may give to friends (for which I have no copyright interest) because they may upload them to FB (or anything alike), guess I have to start to blur the faces of everybody also, but the "target" friends from now on...

        You needn't worry. Copyright lawyers are well aware that Facebook removes EXIF data, including the copyright tag which means it is committing a criminal offence at about a million times a day*. AFAIK the formally established penalty in US copyright law for messing with a copyright notice is in the $2k per offence range, so I reckon it must cost Facebook a pretty penny to keep the DA away from that. If one of them is in need of "sponsorship" it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

        * Caveat: the last time I checked was late last year - I don't use FB so I had to convince a few FB users to upload and download images with prepared EXIF data which had been stripped on retrieval - including the very explicitly name "copyright" tag.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Stop using Facebook and WhatsApp...

          I'm quite sure FB *first* processes EXIF data to gather as much info as it can from them, *then* it deletes it so nobody else can harvest the same data from published images (and meanwhile makes harder to identify them).

          Copyright is removed because AFAIK FB TOS says uploading the image you "lose" copyright (or something alike), and you're liable, not FB, if you upload someone else copyrighted images for which you have no right.

          1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

            Re: Stop using Facebook and WhatsApp...

            Copyright is removed because AFAIK FB TOS says uploading the image you "lose" copyright (or something alike), and you're liable, not FB, if you upload someone else copyrighted images for which you have no right.

            That's not how FB gets away with it. The reason it has not gotten itself into trouble yet is that §506 (the "Criminal offences" chapter) of US Copyright Law talks about interfering with copyright notices with fraudulent intent, which is nigh impossible to prove in court. If FB was using the images to sell something there could possibly be a case, but just showing them with stripped EXIF data is not enough to trigger the "intent" aspect, even though it potentially removes data of the original rights holder.

            That said, given the "gimme" clause in FB TOS where they can do whatever they want with images submitted it's probably not a good idea to put valuable content on Facebook anyway :).

    2. Mage Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: Stop using Facebook and WhatsApp...

      Impossible! Because naive friends, colleagues, family and acquaintances are giving WhatsApp / Facebook the info. Their Android apps are taking ALL the contact details on phones!

      LinkedIn too steals 3rd party email data by tricking users that sign up.

      Don't get me started on Google!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    so....

    how DOES it apply? I mean, when I'm in Germany and using their wifi, presumably? Well, too late anyway, once I heard about the inevitable move, it took only a few seconds to uninstall (delete account, whatever).

    Sideline: this confirmed for the very few people I had had contact with via whatsapp that I'm mad. Cause like, none of those (fairly intelligent people, really) did what I did. Instead they shrugged, bent over and said: yeah, fuck me for free, facebook.

    I can't get it. One of them is my wife, by the way :/

  5. Mage Silver badge
    Devil

    willing to work with the regulator to resolve their concerns.

    Then hold Whatsapp at arms length or sell it.

    Stop making it easy for people to give you other peoples info

    Stop asking for extra info to be added

    Stop asking for phone numbers to turn on "features".

    Stop stealing private info and monetising it.

    Stop with the cheating on visibility unless paid.

    Stop being a walled garden.

    Make privacy simple and on by default.

    Warn people they may be breaking the law if they post PRIVATE 3rd party text, email, numbers or photos on Facebook.

  6. Bad Beaver

    The snickering in response

    ... must have been deafening. I'm sure the whole of Zuckstown is sitting in a fear-related puddle. Not.

    As others have pointed out, the damage is done. You cannot effectively prevent anyone from violating your privacy by uploading your data to WA. Yes, there should be a warning. No, people would still be doing it regardless.

    If you want out of this handbasket, you would have to change all your contact data and then keep it to yourself. Which does not seem that practical.

  7. D Moss Esq

    Compare the UK's electronic ID card scheme ...

    ... where, out of 12 "identity providers", there are just seven left, of which two ask us Brits to download viruses ("apps") onto our mobile phones.

    With Digidentity, it's optional.

    With Morpho, it's mandatory. The app permissions comprise:

    1. read phone status and identity

    2. take pictures and videos

    3. find accounts on the device

    4. use accounts on the device

    5. connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi

    6. full network access

    7. receive data from Internet

    8. view network connections

    9. view Wi-Fi connections

    10. prevent phone from sleeping

    11. modify system settings

    But don't go worrying about your privacy.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Property rights for Data

    Give data property rights. Make the data we generate, data about us, our property that cannot be taken without a fair and understood contract.

    Then enforce it with the zeal governments world wide enforce software piracy laws.

    Of course that will not happen until democratic governments answer to the people rather than the highest bidder.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like