WhatsApp has been ordered to stop sharing user data with Facebook by privacy watchdog CNIL in France.
The hugely-successful chat app has one month to comply with the order, according to CNIL.
WhatsApp updated its terms of service last year.
Under the new changes, Facebook is able to see the phone number people have associated with their WhatsApp account.
This crucial change enables the Californina social network to link and track profiles between the two services, helping Facebook gather more data for its advertisements and improve security measures.
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The updated terms of service triggered outrage, with many users stating the update broke a promise Whatsapp had made to users when it was bought by Facebook back in 2014.
The chat app had previously claimed it would never share user data with the social network.
After investigating the updated terms of service, France’s CNIL ruled that while the intention to improve security measures was valid, WhatsApp’s aim to gather business intelligence was not.
According to the CNIL, “It was observed that the company WhatsApp actually transfers data concerning its users to the company Facebook Inc., for ‘business intelligence’ and security purposes.
“Thus, information about users such as their phone number or their use habits on the application are shared.”
The French regulatory body goes on to add, “The Chair of the CNIL considered that the data transfer from WhatsApp to Facebook Inc. for this ‘business intelligence’ purpose is not based on the legal basis required by the Data Protection Act for any processing.
“In particular, neither the users’ consent nor the legitimate interest of WhatsApp can be used as arguments in this case.”
Speaking at the time, Johannes Caspar, the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, said “This order protects the data of about 35 million WhatsApp users in Germany.
“It has to be their decision as to whether they want to connect their account with Facebook.
“Therefore, Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance. This has not happened.”
Facebook was fined £91 million by the EU this May for providing “misleading information” about its acquisition of WhatsApp.
At the time, Facebook said it would be unable to link users’ profiles on WhatsApp with those on Facebook.