The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) issued a three-month emergency ban on Tuesday, which is permitted under the General Data Protection Regulation. The watchdog will now seek a binding decision covering the whole EU from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). In a statement, the regulator cited concerns with WhatsApp’s privacy policy, which is due to roll out on May 15: The watchdog argued that the new terms of use are therefore illegal. [Read more: This dude drove an EV from the Netherlands to New Zealand — here are his 3 top road trip tips] Johannes Caspar, who heads the authority, said the order aimed to protect the rights and freedoms of the nearly 60 million WhatsApp users in Germany. He also cited fears about their data being used to influence voters’ decisions in the September federal elections in the country: In response, Facebook said it’s considering an appeal against the ban. A WhatsApp spokesperson said the order is “based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose and effect of WhatsApp’s update and therefore has no legitimate basis.” They added that the order “will not impact the continued roll-out of the update.”
