Argentina has ordered Facebook to suspend for six months the use of data that would be made available to the WhatsApp messaging service as part of the controversial change to its privacy conditions.
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According to the decision published Monday in the Official Journal, this decision aims to prevent
"an abuse of a dominant position"
. During this period, the national agency that protects personal data and access to public information will investigate Facebook's plans. Argentina is not the only country to crack down on the attempt of the American social network to share user data between its different applications (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram), since the United States, India, Brazil and Germany have also taken similar measures.
The leader in messaging applications informed its users earlier this year that they had to agree to a new policy on the use of their data to continue using the messaging service.
It allows more information to be shared with its parent company Facebook for advertising and e-commerce purposes.
According to Argentina's secretary of commerce, 76% of the country's mobile phones have downloaded the WhatsApp application.
"Dominant position"
The government body believes that sharing the data would allow Facebook to access user information
"at a level that other companies cannot replicate"
and thus enjoy
"a dominant position in the market through its social networks. "
Likely to affect
" general economic interests "
.
