Germany bans Facebook from handling WhatsApp data over privacy concerns

Germany's leading data protection regulator for Facebook has banned the social network from using data from WhatsApp users. The move follows emergency discussions in Hamburg after WhatsApp asked users to consent to the new terms or stop using it. WhatsApp is used by almost 60 million users in Germany. The regulator suggested that the decision wasn't just about protecting users' privacy but also to avoid the use of data "To influence voters' decisions to manipulate democratic choices", citing the upcoming 26 September parliamentary elections in Germany,. The regulator will now submit the case to the European Data Protection Committee, the body responsible for enforcing the rules across the EU. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, accused the Hamburg data protection authority of misunderstanding the purpose of the update and said there was no legitimate basis for the ban. The regulatory action has opened a new front in Germany over Facebook's privacy policies, with its national antitrust regulator waging a legal battle over data practices it says amount to an abuse of market dominance. Since 2018, online privacy in Europe has been subject to the General Data Protection Regulation.