Data watchdog demands 'urgent briefing' with Facebook over platform integration
The social media giant's plans to integrate the Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram platforms has drawn data protection concerns.
Monday 28 January 2019 16:39, UK
Facebook has been called in for an "urgent briefing" by the Irish data protection commissioner after confirming plans to integrate the Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms.
The integration plan reportedly comes directly from the social media giant's founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, according to The New York Times, which first reported the project.
It would see the company combine its data collection on the hundreds of millions of users of its separate platforms around the world - potentially bringing the company into conflict with strict EU laws on how companies handle personal data.
As Facebook's primary EU base is in Ireland, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) will be the authority investigating the plans. In a statement on Monday, the DPC called for more information.
"While we understand that Facebook's proposal to integrate the Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms is at a very early conceptual stage of development, the Irish DPC has asked Facebook Ireland for an urgent briefing on what is being proposed.
"The Irish DPC will be very closely scrutinising Facebook's plans as they develop, particularly insofar as they involve the sharing and merging of personal data between different Facebook companies.
"Previous proposals to share data between Facebook companies have given rise to significant data protection concerns and the Irish DPC will be seeking early assurances that all such concerns will be fully taken into account by Facebook in further developing this proposal.
"It must be emphasised that ultimately the proposed integration can only occur in the EU if it is capable of meeting all of the requirements of the GDPR."
In an last September, WhatsApp's co-founder Brian Acton claimed he had been coached by Facebook executives to get the acquisition past enquiries by EU regulators.
"I was coached to explain that it would be really difficult to merge or blend data between the two systems," he told Forbes.
Despite the testimony of Mr Acton, who sold WhatsApp to Facebook before leaving over arguments regarding monetising users, such a merging of data is now set to take place.
Mr Acton went on to contribute to the development of the Signal protocol, an end-to-end encrypted messaging protocol which would then be implemented in WhatsApp.
It is unclear if the encrypted qualities of WhatsApp will be generally featured in Facebook Messenger and Instagram or whether the company will continue to scan direct messages on these platforms to develop advertising profiles.
Facebook declined to comment on the urgent briefing request when asked by Sky News.