WhatsApp fined €225M over transparency
€225M
≈ $243M at the time
Irish Data Protection Commission
Ireland / EU · 2021
Status: Under appeal
What happened
The DPC found that WhatsApp failed to properly explain to users and non-users how their data was processed and shared with other Meta companies.
How it affected users
Users could not make informed decisions about data sharing between WhatsApp and Facebook.
Status timeline
Aug 20, 2021
Decision adopted after the EDPB's binding Article 65 decision required a higher fine.
Sep 21, 2026
The DPC's fines register lists the fine as pending appeal; DPC fines are not payable until confirmed by a court.
Sources
- Irish DPC: decision in the WhatsApp inquiry (€225M)regulator
- Irish DPC fines register: status of each DPC fineregulator
Last verified 2026-10-15. Spotted an error? Report a correction.
Cite this entry
Deepak Gupta, "WhatsApp fined €225M over transparency," Tech Fines Directory, guptadeepak.com, 2021-09-02. https://guptadeepak.com/tech-fines/violation/meta-ireland-whatsapp-2021/