Entries tagged with: WhatsApp

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Facebook Integrates Instagram and Messenger

Facebook has announced the integration of Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Early last year, Facebook had released plans to integrate WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, breaking the promises Facebook made when it acquired WhatsApp. After yesterday's announcement, Facebook declined to give a...

FTC to Investigate Prior Big Tech Acquisitions

The FTC announced plans to review acquisitions by Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft between 2010-2019. The FTC will review those acquisitions that the companies were not required by law to report at the time of acquisition. FTC Chairman Joe...

Facing Growing Criticism, Facebook Reverses Decision to Sell Ads in WhatsApp

Facebook reversed the controversial decision to sell ads in WhatsApp. Before WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook, the company promised users it would not sell ads. But Facebook did not honor that promise to users, causing the WhatsApp founders to resign....

FTC May Block Facebook Integration of WhatsApp User Data

According to recent news reports, the FTC may pursue an injunction against Facebook to prevent the integration of WhatsApp and Instagram user data. Analysts noted that integration would make it more difficult to break up the company if required by...

EPIC Renews Call for Antitrust Agencies to Unwind Bad Mergers

In a second statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, EPIC urged lawmakers to unwind bad mergers such as Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp and Google's acquisition of YouTube and Nest. EPIC wrote that "companies that protect user privacy are being absorbed...

Gallup Poll: Americans Divided on Regulation for Big Tech Firms

A new Gallup poll found that 48 percent of respondents said the government should boost its regulation of technology companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google, while 40 percent said regulation of these firms shouldn't change. Roughly 60 percent of self-identified...

FTC Opens Antitrust Investigation of Facebook

Facebook has disclosed that the Federal Trade Commission opened an antitrust investigation into the company. In a recent statement for a Senate Judiciary committee hearing on antitrust, EPIC wrote that "companies that protect user privacy are being absorbed by companies...

EPIC Urges Antitrust Agencies to Raise their Game

In a statement to the Senate Judiciary committee, EPIC urged lawmakers to press the FTC and the Department of Justice on Enforcement of the Antitrust Laws. EPIC wrote that "companies that protect user privacy are being absorbed by companies that...

EPIC on Libra: "Facebook Clearly Cannot be Trusted With Consumers' Financial Data"

In advance of Congressional hearings on Facebook's plan to launch its own cryptocurrency called Libra, EPIC has sent statements to Senate and House Committees stating that "Facebook clearly cannot be trusted with consumers' financial data." EPIC noted Facebook's history of...

New Report on the FTC's Big Tech Revolving Door Problem

A new report from the consumer group Public Citizen finds extensive conflicts of interest at the Federal Trade Commission. According to Public Citizen, most top officials at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) become lawyers and lobbyists for major technology companies...

Senator Blumenthal Calls on FTC to Unwind Big Tech Mergers

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week, Senator Richard Blumenthal said that antitrust enforcers must consider unwinding anticompetitive mergers. “Over the past decade tech companies have in effect been given a free pass by antitrust regulators,” Senator Blumenthal...

FTC Announces Task Force on Competition in Tech

The FTC announced a new task force dedicated to monitoring U.S. technology markets and investigating anticompetitive conduct. FTC Chairman Joe Simons said "it makes sense for us to closely examine technology markets to ensure consumers benefit from free and fair...

German Competition Authorities Impose Restrictions on Facebook for Privacy Violations

Germany's competition agency has imposed restrictions on Facebook's practice of combining user data from across its platforms, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, and prohibited the company from linking third-party data to specific Facebook user accounts. The agency President said, "Today...

During Government Shut Down, Facebook Moves to Integrate WhatsApp User Data

The New York Times has reported that Facebook is planning to integrate WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. Earlier this week, EPIC joined a coalition of groups urging the FTC to unwind the Facebook-WhatsApp merger, citing promises the companies made at...

EPIC v. FTC: EPIC Obtains Emails about Facebook Audits

In response to EPIC's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the FTC has released communications about Facebook's biennial audits. The audits are required by the FTC's 2011 Consent Order with Facebook, which followed a detailed complaint by EPIC and other consumer...

FTC to Explore Competition and Consumer Protection Issues at Hearings this Week

The FTC is holding a hearing this week to examine the regulation of consumer data, the consumer welfare standard in antitrust law, and vertical mergers. This is the first in a series of hearings on "Competition and Consumer Protection in...

EPIC FOIA: EPIC Obtains Facebook Privacy Documents

In response to an EPIC Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the Federal Trade Commission has released supplemental materials from the biennial Facebook audits (production 1, production 2, production 3, production 4). The audits were required by the FTC's 2011 Consent...

FTC Chair Seeks New Privacy and Data Security Authority

In testimony this morning before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, new Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Simons said the FTC needs greater authority to protect consumers. Simons asserted that privacy and data security are now the top priority for...

U.K. Blocks WhatsApp From Transferring Data to Facebook

U.K. privacy officials have blocked WhatApp from transferring personal data to Facebook until the company complies with the GDPR, the new European privacy law. The Information Commissioner's Office found that WhatsApp's proposed data transfer would have violated the U.K. Data...

Axios Poll: Public Wants Big Tech Regulated

A new Axios-SurveyMonkey poll found that 55% of Americans believe the government should do more to regulate tech companies such as Google and Facebook. The poll showed bipartisan support for increased regulation, with 45% of Republicans, 64% of Democrats, and...

EPIC Joins Consumer and Health Groups, Urges Facebook to Scrap 'Messenger Kids'

EPIC, the Center for Commercial Free Childhood, and others have urged Mark Zuckerberg to shutter Facebook's "Messenger Kids" app. The groups cited rising concern about social media among adolescents and wrote it is irresponsible to encourage preschoolers to use Facebook...

French Privacy Agency to Block WhatsApp Facebook Data Transfers

France's data protection authority CNIL has given WhatsApp one month to stop sending user data to Facebook. EPIC and the Center for Digital Democracy urged the FTC in 2014 to mandate privacy safeguards for Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp, and warned...

EPIC Urges Congress to Focus on Consumer Privacy and Data Security in Antitrust Hearing

In a statement to the Senate Judiciary committee, EPIC urged lawmakers to consider consumer privacy at a hearing on "The Consumer Welfare Standard in Antitrust." EPIC emphasized the privacy risks of mergers, stating that "when companies merge, they combine not...

European Privacy Experts Press WhatsApp on Data Practices

The Article 29 Working Party, a group of European privacy experts, warned WhatsApp that it is still not complying with data protection law. Following Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp, WhatsApp transferred users' personal data to Facebook, violating past privacy promises. In...

EPIC Urges FTC To Strengthen Privacy Settlement With Uber

In detailed comments to the Federal Trade Commission, EPIC urged the FTC to strengthen a proposed settlement with Uber. The FTC's investigation and subsequent settlement was prompted by EPIC's 2015 complaint, which detailed Uber's secretive tracking of customers and surreptitious...

EPIC Urges Public Comments on FTC Settlement with Uber

EPIC is urging the public to comment on the proposed FTC settlement with Uber regarding consumer privacy. (Federal Register Notice). The FTC settlement follows EPIC's 2015 complaint, which detailed Uber's secretive tracking of customers and surreptitious collection of user data....

Following EPIC Complaint, Uber Agrees To Stop Tracking Riders

Uber has ended the practice of tracking customers before and after they are picked up. In 2015, Uber announced the company would track the location of riders from the time they ordered a ride until after they had reached their...

Supreme Court of India Rules Privacy is a Fundamental Right

India's Supreme Court has ruled that privacy is a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution. In a unanimous ruling, the Court explained the "right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty...

After EPIC Privacy Complaint, Uber Settles with FTC

After an EPIC complaint about Uber's privacy practices, Uber has entered into a consent agreement with the FTC. The agreement prohibits Uber from misrepresenting how it monitors or secures consumer information. As with most FTC privacy settlements, the agreement also...

News Report: FTC to Act on EPIC's Uber Complaint

According to news reports, the FTC is pursuing EPIC's privacy complaint regarding Uber. In 2015, EPIC filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission charging that Uber's plan to track users and gather contact details was an unlawful and deceptive...

Facebook Fined $122 Million for Misleading Europe on Privacy Risks of WhatsApp Merger

The EU has fined Facebook $122 million for misleading the European Commission during the investigation of the Facebook-WhatsApp Merger. Following Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp, WhatsApp transferred users' personal data to Facebook and violated the company's privacy promises. Facebook had downplayed...

In Merger Reviews, EPIC Advocates for Privacy, Algorithmic Transparency

EPIC has sent a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of a hearing on the new Antitrust Chief. EPIC urged the Committee to consider the role of consumer privacy and data protection in merger reviews. EPIC warned that "monopoly...

German Court Blocks Facebook's Efforts to Obtain WhatsApp User Data

A German court has upheld an order requiring Facebook to suspend the import of users' personal data from WhatsApp. Following Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp, WhatsApp announced that it would transfer users' personal data to Facebook, violating the company's privacy promises....

UK Information Commissioner Suspends WhatsApp Data Transfer to Facebook

Facebook has agreed to suspend targeted advertising for UKWhatsApp users. The decision follows an investigation by UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham. "I don't think WhatsApp has got valid consent from users to share the information," Denham stated. WhatsApp announced in...

European Privacy Officials Pursue Investigation of WhatsApp & Yahoo

The Article 29 Working Party, an expert group of European privacy officials, is pursuing investigations of WhatsApp and Yahoo. In a letter to Facebook, the Working Party stated that the decision to transfer confidential user data from WhatsApp to Facebook...

Google "Quietly" Changes Privacy Policy, Matches Tracking Data and User ID

Ars Technica reported this week that Google "quietly" changed its privacy policy this summer to combine tracking data and user ID - data it had previously promised to keep separated. The revised policy now says that "your activity on other...

WhatsApp Privacy Update: Spain Investigating Broken Privacy Promises

Spain is the latest country to investigate WhatsApp's transfer of user data, including the verified user phone number, to Facebook. The Spanish Data Protection Agency joins privacy regulators in Germany, India, Italy, and the U.K. that have taken action against...

India Joins International Opposition to WhatsApp Privacy Changes

India’s Deli High Court has ordered WhatsApp not to transfer to Facebook any user data that was collected prior to September 25, 2016, and to delete data of users who opted out of WhatsApp’s new data transfer policy prior to...

Germany Prohibits WhatsApp Data Transfer to Facebook

Germany’s privacy regulator has ordered Facebook to immediately stop collecting and storing user data from WhatsApp, and to delete all WhatsApp user data that has already been transferred. In a statement, German officials said that WhatsApp’s new data transfer policy...

Consumer Groups Back Call for FTC to Investigate WhatsApp

More than a dozen US consumer organizations have asked the Federal Trade Commission to pursue the complaint EPIC and the Center for Digital Democracy filed about WhatsApp’s plan to transfer user data to Facebook. The EPIC-CDD complaint said that the...

European Commission Begins Investigation of WhatsApp Privacy About-Face

Following the announcement that WhatsApp intends to transfer user data to Facebook in violation of earlier commitments, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has opened an investigation. Vestager stated, “That they didn’t merge data wasn’t the decisive factor when the merger...

FTC Responds to EPIC's Complaint about WhatsApp

The Federal Trade Commission has responded to the EPIC and Center for Digital Democracy complaint about WhatsApp's plan to transfer user data, including verified phone numbers, to Facebook. The FTC stated that it prohibits companies from engaging in unfair and...

EPIC, CDD Charge WhatsApp Policy Change Unlawful, Urge FTC to Act

EPIC and the Center for Digital Democracy have filed a complaint with the FTC concerning WhatsApp’s plan to transfer user data, including personal phone numbers, to Facebook. This reversal contradicts WhatsApp’s previous promises to users that their personal information would...

Facebook to Collect WhatsApp User Data, Violating FTC Order and Privacy Promises

WhatsApp has announced plans to disclose user information to Facebook, including phone numbers and other user data, that will be connected with Facebook profiles. Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014, and the companies promised users of the privacy-protective messaging service that...

Senate Examines FTC's Antitrust Enforcement

The Senate Judiciary Committee recently examined the scope and application of the FTC's Section 5 antitrust enforcement authority at the hearing "Section 5 and 'Unfair Methods of Competition': Protecting Competition or Increasing Uncertainty?" EPIC Advisory Board member Tim Wu testified...

EPIC Files Comments with FTC on Merger Review and Consumer Privacy

EPIC, along with 26 technical experts and legal scholars, has submitted extensive comments for the FTC's review of the merger remedy process. EPIC urged the Commission to consider the privacy risks to consumers that result from the merger of big...

WhatsApp Implements End-to-End Encryption

The messaging service WhatsApp has announced plans to implement end-to-end encryption for Android phones. WhatsApp gained popularity as a pro-privacy alternative to text messaging. However, privacy concerns were raised after Facebook's proposed acquisition of the company. EPIC filed two complaints...

Senator Rockefeller Questions Whisper About Privacy Practices

Senator Rockefeller has asked Whisper to answer several questions about the company's practices and policies. Whisper said that it does not track users and that it respects users' decisions to opt out of geolocational tracking. But the Guardian revealed that...

EU Launches Investigation Into Facebook Acquisition of WhatsApp

Antitrust officials in the European Union have begun an investigation into Facebook's acquisition of the messaging service WhatsApp. WhatsApp gained popularity based on its pro-privacy approach to user data. Following the announcement of Facebook's plan to acquire the company, EPIC...

Google Plans Advertising on Appliances, Including Nest Thermostat

In a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Google announced plans to place targeted ads on Google-controlled appliances. Google wrote that "a few years from now, we and other companies could be serving ads and other content on refrigerators,...