BRUSSELS – The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) today announced that it has lodged a complaint with the European Commission against Facebook’s attempt to modify the terms of service for the WhatsApp messaging service.
The United States tech titan has sought to nudge users of the platform to accept new terms, but denied this will allow WhatsApp to share more user data with its main social site.
Regulators and privacy activists have condemned the move, and authorities in some countries – including European Union member Germany – have stepped in to impose temporary bans.
In a statement announcing its complaint, BEUC accused Facebook of “unfairly” pressuring users to accept the handover, and failing to explain it.
Director-general Monique Goyens said: “WhatsApp has been bombarding users for months with aggressive and persistent pop-up messages to force them to accept its new terms of use and privacy policy.
“They’ve been telling users that their access to the app will be cut off if they do not accept the new terms. Yet, consumers don’t know what they’re actually accepting.”
The European Commission is the 27-nation bloc’s main market regulator and has, in recent years, launched a series of investigations and actions against the US giants that it sees as internet gatekeepers. – AFP, July 12, 2021
