About: Whatsapp
French economy ministry wants to overhaul EU competition policies
The French Ministry of Economy wants to change competition practices and trade policy in Europe. Its proposals also aim to tackle new digital conglomerates. EURACTIV France reports.
Germany to restrict Facebook’s data gathering activities
Facebook has been ordered to curb its data collection practices in Germany after a landmark ruling on Thursday that the world’s largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their consent.
‘God help us’: Khashoggi’s hacked WhatsApp messages provide clues about killing
Messages obtained from the WhatsApp account of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi shine a light on the possible reasons behind his death, depicting the full extent of his animosity towards Saudi Arabia and his plans to establish an "electronic army" of activists against the regime.
Silicon Valley giants hit with first complaints on day one of GDPR
Big American technology companies were the first to be hit with complaints for how they handle users’ personal information under the new EU data protection regulation known as GDPR.
National privacy watchdogs brace for new pan-EU powers
Europe’s powerful data protection regulators are banding together to coordinate how they investigate and sanction misbehaving companies before a major overhaul of the bloc’s privacy law takes effect in May.
MEPs approve ePrivacy bill amid political fight
MEPs in the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) approved stricter new privacy rules for telecoms services and apps like WhatsApp and Skype that divided political groups and drew backlash from the telecoms and tech industries.
Brussels promises more police access to encrypted data, but no backdoors
The European Commission insisted that it does not want to weaken encryption as part of its latest push to give law enforcement authorities more access to private data.
Member states want to change investment rules in telecoms overhaul
EU countries have changed measures on network investment in a major telecoms bill and are kicking negotiations into the second half of this year.
EU fines Facebook €110 million over WhatsApp deal
European Union antitrust regulators fined Facebook €110 million on Thursday (18 May) for giving misleading information during a vetting of its deal to acquire messaging service WhatsApp in 2014.
EU seeks new powers to peek into ‘sensitive’ corporate information
The European Commission on Tuesday (2 May) unveiled a proposal that could significantly expand its powers to request access to sensitive corporate data as a way to enforce EU single market rules or to inform new pieces of legislation.
EU to propose new rules targeting encrypted apps in June
The European Commission will propose new measures in June to make it easier for police to access data on internet messaging apps like WhatsApp, EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová said yesterday (28 March), heeding calls from national interior ministers.
Telecoms firms and internet services like WhatsApp face tougher new privacy rules
Telecoms providers will face fines of up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover if they're caught breaking new EU privacy rules that will also hit firms processing vast amounts of machine data in the internet of things.
Facebook gave misleading information during WhatsApp buyout, Commission says
The European Commission could fine Facebook up to €170 million after it accused the social media giant with providing misleading information during its acquisition of WhatsApp.
The Brief: Commissioner mocks Chinese and gay marriage
Digital Commissioner Günther Oettinger has mocked the Chinese, gay marriage, and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s divorce in a shock speech.
EU watchdogs ask Yahoo and WhatsApp to explain privacy breaches
The group of powerful data protection watchdogs from EU countries have reprimanded Yahoo and WhatsApp over concerns the companies are violating Europeans' privacy rights.
New telecoms rules: bringing Europe’s internet up to speed?
The European Commission proposed changes to laws governing telecoms service in September 2016 that will affect how people use the internet and phones around the EU. There’s a lot at stake for consumers, former state-owned monopolies and emerging service providers: the...
European regulators to scrutinise WhatsApp privacy switch
Facebook's move to relax the privacy policy of WhatsApp, the world's most popular mobile messaging application, will be closely scrutinised, the chair of Europe's leading group of privacy regulators said on Monday (29 August).
WhatsApp and Skype targeted in Commission’s revamp of telecoms laws
Internet companies like WhatsApp and Skype are worried they'll have to comply with new EU telecoms laws for the first time when the European Commission proposes a legislative overhaul this September.
Broadband internet access will become a legal right under new EU telecoms rules
The European Commission is setting itself up for a fight with national governments by forcing them to pay for guaranteed internet access across the EU and comply with new rules on radio spectrum sales, according to an internal document obtained by EURACTIV.com.
Franco-German big data paper backs case-by-case competition scrutiny
Whether digital companies with large data sets – such as Facebook, and its WhatsApp subsidiary – could impose a risk on competition has to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, German and French competition officials concluded on Tuesday (10 May). EURACTIV’s partner PaRR reports.
EU heeds telecoms call for lighter regulation, network investment
Policy executives from Orange, Deutsche Telekom and BT urged a step back in regulations on Tuesday (23 June), arguing they discourage private investment.
Telecoms increase pressure on Brussels
Orange, Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica have launched a new demand for reform in the EU telecommunications sector. They want new regulations to be extended to the Internet providers that piggyback on their services. EURACTIV France and La Tribune report.