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Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

nytimes.com

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Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#11

Post by teekert »

smoyer wrote: post #7

Now things are going to get interesting! I completely understand the desire for privacy but I think it's unrealistic to expect that Facebook won't consolidate its data by user across all their applications. Facebook (and Google, etc.) are now in the same business as the credit reporting agencies ... You are their only product. My hope is that the increasing outrage will drive users to one of the secure messaging appl…

Whatsapp gained massive users with their "no commercials ever" claim. They were a small independent company. And people arguably got invested in the network as a result. Now they reverse on that but the public feels locked in. I myself think... just switch to Signal or Telegram, but the amount of WA users is simply massive here in the EU. Everybody uses it.

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#12

Post by ominous »

microtonal wrote: post #9
smoyer wrote: post #7

Now things are going to get interesting! I completely understand the desire for privacy but I think it's unrealistic to expect that Facebook won't consolidate its data by user across all their applications. Facebook (and Google, etc.) are now in the same business as the credit reporting agencies ... You are their only product. My hope is that the increasing outrage will drive users to one of the secure messaging appl…

Now things are going to get interesting! I completely understand the desire for privacy but I thinkmit's unrealistic to expect that Facebook won't consolidate its data by user across all their applications. Facebook (and Google, etc.) are now in the same business as the credit reporting agencies ... You are their only product. The difference in this particular case is that Whatsapp made an explicit promise that they…

Where does it say that Facebook will respect that blog post?

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#13

Post by nowlnowl »

kuschku wrote: post #4
throwawayReply wrote: post #2

How does this work, if I travel to Germany and use WhatsApp is Facebook compelled to delete all the shared data they have on me?

Likely they'll do it based on the phone number prefix +49

I sense a new market. German number-as-a-Service...

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#14

Post by kbart »

“It has to be their decision, whether they want to connect their account with Facebook,” Johannes Caspar, the Hamburg data protection commissioner, said in a statement. “Therefore, Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance. This has not happened.”

That's a fair point. I don't use WhatsApp, so did it asked to accept new privacy policy, terms & conditions or smth? Anyway, I'm happy to see that institutions in Europe take a stance against big corps to protect its users lately.

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#15

Post by hiisukun »

Regardless of how this ends up working or being decided, I'm very happy to see such discussion occurring. The large scale collection of data on users has benefits both nominally 'good' and 'evil' - from app UX to advertising profits. But equally interesting are the potential drawbacks involving privacy concerns, and lack of user awareness.

It is this last point that I find best remedied by articles like this appearing in widely available media publications. When a discussion is on HN I might learn a lot and reflect upon my choices. When the nytimes and German privacy commissioner start a conversation, I consider that even more valuable.

Hopefully a balanced outcome will occur, but I don't see that as important as the inevitable education that comes with such public debate.

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#16

Post by chii »

icantdrive55 wrote: post #10

I would like to see a federal Staute inacted regarding the collection of user data in the US. Enacted quickly! Something on the lines of don't collect any data, besides name, password, email address. This information can never be sold. I have weird feeling, in the near future, we will find that information/data has been abused. No just abused by marketing/big data, etc.. And I'm not even arguing about the obvious--pe…

> Something on the lines of don't collect any data, besides name, password, email address. This information can never be sold.

Would you then pay for the services in full that you now could use for free?

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#17

Post by smoyer »

microtonal wrote: post #9
smoyer wrote: post #7

Now things are going to get interesting! I completely understand the desire for privacy but I think it's unrealistic to expect that Facebook won't consolidate its data by user across all their applications. Facebook (and Google, etc.) are now in the same business as the credit reporting agencies ... You are their only product. My hope is that the increasing outrage will drive users to one of the secure messaging appl…

Now things are going to get interesting! I completely understand the desire for privacy but I thinkmit's unrealistic to expect that Facebook won't consolidate its data by user across all their applications. Facebook (and Google, etc.) are now in the same business as the credit reporting agencies ... You are their only product. The difference in this particular case is that Whatsapp made an explicit promise that they…

I read that blog post when the acquisition was announced ... And laughed! While it feels like the (then) WhatsApp CEO was sincere, did anyone really believe that Zuckerberg would be a hands-off owner? Or that his public-only data content ideas wouldn't become dominant? I'll agree that I think this move contradicts his blog post but I also don't think the purchased entity gets to set the terms after agreeing to be bought ... That would be an interesting contract to read.

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#18

Post by bonoboTP »

chii wrote: post #16
icantdrive55 wrote: post #10

I would like to see a federal Staute inacted regarding the collection of user data in the US. Enacted quickly! Something on the lines of don't collect any data, besides name, password, email address. This information can never be sold. I have weird feeling, in the near future, we will find that information/data has been abused. No just abused by marketing/big data, etc.. And I'm not even arguing about the obvious--pe…

> Something on the lines of don't collect any data, besides name, password, email address. This information can never be sold. Would you then pay for the services in full that you now could use for free?

Maybe yes, maybe not. So what? It should still be forbidden. If it turns out that not enough people want to pay for it, then tough luck for the company, they should design something that people will pay for.

For example it is forbidden to take organs from people as payment. We could forbid taking certain private data from masses of people as payment.

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#19

Post by drusepth »

thecatspaw wrote: post #8
mkagenius wrote: post #6

There is one funny one: http://www.ndtv.com/blog/why-i-took-whatsapp-to-court-by-a-1...

"please turn off your adblocker" yeah, no thanks. Do you have another link?

In case OP doesn't, here's the article anyway: http://imgur.com/a/8MogG

The ads could have been much worse.

Re: Facebook Ordered to Stop Collecting Data on WhatsApp Users in Germany

#20

Post by doctorstupid »

icantdrive55 wrote: post #10

I would like to see a federal Staute inacted regarding the collection of user data in the US. Enacted quickly! Something on the lines of don't collect any data, besides name, password, email address. This information can never be sold. I have weird feeling, in the near future, we will find that information/data has been abused. No just abused by marketing/big data, etc.. And I'm not even arguing about the obvious--pe…

Alphabet = winning bet
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