New Delhi: WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app, has suffered a severe setback. The company has now been slapped with a 225 million euros fine, which is about Rs 1,942 crore in Indian currency, for sharing personal data with other Facebook companies in Ireland. The fine has been imposed on the company under the General Data Protection Regulation, a GDPR, formed three years ago.
According to media reports, WhatsApp called the fine “entirely disproportionate” and said it would appeal. A company spokesperson said that WhatsApp is completely safe and we are committed to protecting users' data. The spokesperson informed that the company disagrees with the decision and it plans to appeal.
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Fine Amount Increased
Corporate taxes are low in Ireland and many big companies, including Google, Facebook, Apple, Twitter, have offices here. WhatsApp was initially fined just Rs 433 crore but it has been increased manifold due to pressure from other EU countries.
30 lakh WhatsApp accounts suspended in India
Recently, WhatsApp released its monthly compliance report. It said the company has suspended about 3 million WhatsApp accounts over a period of 46 days. WhatsApp reported that it had received 594 complaints during this period, and the company has taken action on all of them. Most of these accounts have been suspended due to automatic or bulk messaging.