Privacy advocates file FTC complaint to block Facebook's $19 billion acquisition of messaging service WhatsApp, calling it unfair and deceptive.
Two privacy groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission to block Facebook's $19 billion acquisition of messaging service WhatsApp. The groups want Facebook to provide more insight into how it intends to use data from the app's 450 million users.
According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), Facebook's purchase might be "an unfair and deceptive trade practice" because WhatsApp assures users that it won't collect data for advertising purposes. Facebook, the privacy groups believe, will break that promise.
"Facebook routinely makes use of user information for advertising purposes and has made clear that it intends to incorporate the data of WhatsApp users into the user profiling business model," the complaint said. "The proposed acquisition will therefore violate WhatsApp users' understanding of their exposure to online advertising and constitutes an unfair and deceptive trade practice, subject to investigation by the Federal Trade Commission."
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