WhatsApp plans to roll out a new advertising model in the coming months, but the company has told Ireland’s privacy regulator that it won’t affect the EU until next year.
WhatsApp owner Meta announced the launch of new features in WhatsApp’s “Updates” tab on Monday, including targeted advertisements and a subscription model. It said the features would start to appear for users “over the next several months.”
The announcement immediately raised concern among privacy organizations, in particular the fact that Meta will also use “ad preferences and info” from across people’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, where they are linked to WhatsApp.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Irish Data Protection Commission, responsible for enforcing the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation against Meta, said that it has been informed by WhatsApp that its advertising model won’t roll out in the EU until 2026.
“That new product won’t be launching [in] the EU market until 2026. We have been informed by WhatsApp and we will be meeting with them to discuss any issues further,” said Commissioner Des Hogan.
He added that the advertising model will be discussed with other data protection authorities “so that we can reflect back any concerns which we have as European regulators.”
A spokesperson for WhatsApp confirmed that the advertising model is a “global update, and it is being rolled out gradually around the world.”
Meta said in the announcement that the new features are built “in the most privacy-oriented way possible,” and has emphasized that sharing of data between WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook will only happen when users have opted in to having their accounts linked.
The U.S. social media giant previously paused the rollout of flagship artificial intelligence technology in the EU over privacy concerns from the Irish regulator.
Commissioner Dale Sunderland said that regarding WhatsApp’s advertising model, they “haven’t had that sort of conversation” with the company.
“We’re still early days, we’ll engage as we do with every other new feature, new issue that they bring to us … and at this stage, it’s too early to say what, if any, will be any red line issues,” he said.
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