WhatsApp Fined $270 Million for Violating EU Data Privacy Law

Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service was fined nearly $270 million by Irish authorities for not being transparent about how it uses data collected from people on the service, in a case that represents a big test of Europe’s ability to enforce its landmark data privacy law. The 265-page decision is the first major ruling against Facebook under the European Union’s far-reaching General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, a three-year-old law that many have criticized for not being properly enforced. Irish regulators said WhatsApp was not clear with users about how data was shared with other Facebook properties like its main social network and Instagram.