WhatsApp ordered to cease data sharing with Facebook in France
France has become the latest country to demand WhatsApp stops sharing user data with Facebook, according to a notice posted on the CNIL website. The French regulator deemed WhatsApp's collection of business intelligence a violation of "the fundamental freedoms of users", as they couldn't opt out without uninstalling the app. In 2016, Germany and the UK made the same request. WhatsApp parent company Facebook was fined $122m earlier this year by the European Union over "misleading information" regarding the social media giant's acquisition of WhatsApp.
France’s ultra-strict privacy watchdog CNIL has ordered WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with parent company Facebook. The app has a month to comply with the order, according to a public notice posted to the French website.

The query began after WhatsApp added to its terms of service last year that it shares data with Facebook to develop targeted advertising, security measures, and to gather business intelligence.

Upon investigating these claims, the CNIL ruled that while WhatsApp’s intention of improving security measures was valid, the app’s business intelligence reason wasn’t as acceptable. After all, WhatsApp never told its users it was collecting data for business intelligence and there’s no way to opt out without uninstalling the app. That violates “the fundamental freedoms of users,” said the CNIL.

European regulators have attempted to police Facebook in the past, especially when it comes to data-sharing. Germany ordered Facebook to stop collecting data from WhatsApp users in September of last year, and in the UK, Facebook agreed to stop collecting WhatsApp user data in November of last year.