Facebook Suspends WhatsApp Data Mine in Europe (FB)

Amid intense pressure from data privacy watchdogs in the EU, Facebook, Inc. (FB) has temporarily suspended its collection of WhatsApp user data for advertising purposes across Europe, according to the Financial Times. The social media giant has used personal information on accounts such as phone numbers and device information in Europe for ad targeting. German data protection authorities, which blocked Facebook in September for collecting subscriber data, cited privacy concerns from WhatsApp. (See also: The Risks of Facebook's Data Sharing Plan for WhatsApp.) After conversations with European officials over the past few months, it was determined that regulators need more time to assess such concerns over privacy and for Facebook to come up with ways to address those concerns. Facebook confirmed on Wednesday that it had stopped compiling WhatsApp user data for products and advertising purposes since last week.