The consumer protection organization is complaining about whatsApp’s new terms and conditions

Facebook has been accused of multiple breaches of European Union consumer protection law as a result of its attempts to force WhatsApp users to accept the new terms and conditions. That is why the organization that brings together consumer protection associations in the European Union is now lodging a complaint with the company. The TechCrunch portal addressed the topic.

According to the organization, the new conditions are unclear and WhatsApp will not allow users to reject them

Users originally had until May 15 to adopt the new terms, but the company decided to postpone that date after the new terms met with a wave of criticism. However, the organization that brings together consumer protection associations in the European Union is not satisfied with the way Facebook presents the new terms. Users cannot reject them, they will be repeatedly bothered by notifications in the application until they accept the conditions. According to the organization, this puts pressure on users and restricts their freedom of choice.

Another problem is that Facebook did not explain the changes in the conditions simply and clearly. Users thus do not have a clear idea of ​​what will happen to their data after the adoption of the new conditions and must find the information themselves. This violates European Union consumer rights, which oblige companies to have clear and transparent contractual terms.

For these reasons, the organization is now lodging a complaint with the European Commission and the European Network of Consumer Offices together with eight member organizations. It called on the competent authorities to speed up the investigation. The European Commission has stated that it will thoroughly investigate the complaint and publish the conclusion of the investigation in the coming weeks.

WhatsApp claims that this is a misunderstanding

A spokesman for WhatsApp told TechCrunch that the organization’s complaint was based on a misunderstanding. According to him, the recent update of the application provided a better explanation and transparency of the new conditions. He added that the new conditions do not give Facebook the right to collect more data about WhatsApp users and that they do not affect the privacy of their conversations.

Germany is also dissatisfied with the new conditions

Germany is also defending itself against the new conditions, and Facebook has temporarily banned them from applying them. It was an emergency regulation, so its validity is limited to only three months. However, the European Data Protection Board today confirmed that it will discuss the regulation in plenary, which could lead to its extension.