WhatsApp received a record fine of 225 million euros for violating the GDPR

It has been three years since the European Union introduced the regulation on the protection of personal data known as the GDPR. The novelty bothered not only smaller companies, but also technology giants who do not handle user data the best. The misuse of the data made the company Facebook famous, which today fined Ireland a record 225 million euros. The GSMAren portal addressed the topic.

The company was originally to receive a fine of only EUR 50 million

The fine concerns the WhatsApp chat service, which, according to the Irish Data Protection Commission, did not provide users with the necessary information on the protection of their data and did not fulfill its transparency obligations. The dispute has been going on since the entry into force of the GDPR in 2018, when the fine was set at only EUR 50 million.

However, the final amount of 225 million still represents only 0.08% of the company’s total turnover. GDPR provides for fines of up to 4% of turnover. Nevertheless, this is the largest fine ever imposed by the Irish Commission and the second largest fine ever imposed under EU data protection law.

The Commission decision states that WhatsApp did not process user data in a lawful, fair and transparent manner; did not provide information on how the data were collected “in a concise, transparent, comprehensible and easily accessible form”; did not inform users where their data is stored; did not provide the contact details of someone to whom users may contact in connection with the processing of the data; and did not inform users how their personal data were obtained and processed by third parties.

WhatsApp claims that the amount of the fine is disproportionate

A spokesman for WhatsApp claims that the amount of the fine is “completely disproportionate” and that the company will appeal against this decision. He stated in a statement that the problems mentioned in the decision concerned 2018 practices and added that “WhatsApp is committed to providing a secure and private service. According to him, the service has worked on the transparency of data processing and plans to improve it in the future.