WhatsApp slapped with $5.5 million fine for flouting data protection laws in Italy

WhatsApp, the popular messaging app owned by Facebook, has been hit with a €5.5 million ($5.5 million) fine for violating data protection laws in Italy. The fine was imposed by the Italian data protection authority, the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali, which found that WhatsApp had failed to obtain valid consent from users for the processing of their personal data. The authority launched an investigation into WhatsApp's data protection practices in 2018, after receiving numerous complaints from users about the company's handling of their personal information. The investigation found that WhatsApp had not obtained valid consent from users for the processing of their personal data, as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In addition to failing to obtain valid consent, the Garante also found that WhatsApp had not provided users with sufficient information about how their data was being used. The company was found to have failed to adequately inform users about the types of data that were being collected, how the data was being used, and who it was being shared with. This lack of transparency was a violation of the GDPR's principle of transparency. As a result of these violations, the Garante imposed a fine of €5.5 million on WhatsApp, the largest fine ever imposed by the authority for a violation of data protection laws. The fine serves as a reminder of the importance of complying with data protection laws and the need for companies to be transparent about their data practices. In response to the fine, WhatsApp has said it will "review the decision and determine appropriate action." This fine imposed on WhatsApp is one of the biggest penalty in the recent years after the introduction of GDPR and it serves as a warning for other companies to comply with the data protection laws or face heavy penalties.