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Clubhouse app: deficiencies in data protection?
Photo: imago images / Political-Moments
Clubhouse is enjoying growing popularity - but consumer advocates are critical of the new social media app.
The Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV) has issued a warning to the clubhouse provider because of serious legal deficiencies.
VZBV board member Klaus Müller announced this on Twitter on Wednesday.
In a letter to Alpha Exploration Co. in Oakland, California, consumer advocates complain that the service in Germany is operated without the required imprint.
The general terms and conditions and the data protection information are not available in German as prescribed, but only in English.
The warning is also about data protection.
The clubhouse operator claims the right to make extensive use of the contact information uploaded by users from the smartphone's address books and, for example, to bother them with advertising.
Clubhouse is thus violating the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
In the warning to the clubhouse operator, the VZBV demands the submission of a "declaration of cease and desist with penalties."
If the operating company in California does not respond to the warning or refuses to sign the declaration of cease and desist, the German association could file a lawsuit with the Berlin district court and impose a fine there.
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dpa / mic
