Objecting to the processing of your personal information

What is an objection?
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), if you live in a country in the European Economic Area (which includes the European Union) and any other included country or territory (collectively referred to as the European Region) and under the UK GDPR if you live in the UK, you have the legal right to object at any time to the processing of your personal information where the legal basis for that processing is legitimate interests.
This means that you can object to our processing of your information for:
  • Business intelligence and analytics.
  • To preserve and share information with others including law enforcement and to respond to legal requests.
  • To preserve and share information when we seek legal advice or seek to protect ourselves in the context of litigation and other disputes.
  • To promote safety, integrity and security outside of the performance of our contract with you.
  • To improve the WhatsApp customer support service.
  • To improve the WhatsApp Service by developing new features or updating existing features.
You can also object at any time to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes, regardless of the legal basis relied upon.
An "objection" is a request for WhatsApp to stop processing your personal information for a specific processing activity (eg. "I want you to stop using my personal data to improve the WhatsApp service").
How can I submit an objection?
If you're living in the European Region or in the UK, you can submit an objection to such processing of your personal information with this form and select "How can I make an objection to the processing of my information." Please provide your email address and WhatsApp phone number so we can process your request.
You will then be asked for the following information by email:
  • What information processing you are objecting to: the processing activities carried out by WhatsApp on the basis of legitimate interests are listed above
  • How this processing impacts you; under the GDPR and the UK GDPR, you have a right to object on grounds relating to your particular situation. This is important for us to be able to review and assess your objection. This is why we ask you to explain how the processing affects you (such as what rights and freedoms you believe are impacted by the processing and why)
  • Any additional information you believe will help us review your objection (optional)
We may ask you for more information if your request is incomplete.
What happens after I submit an objection?
Our team will review your objection. Please make sure you have provided the information requested above to help us review your objection properly. If you do not provide sufficient information that meets the requirements for an objection, we will not be able to assess your objection.
We will consider several factors when assessing an objection including: your reasonable expectations; the benefits and risks to you, us, other users, or third parties; and other available means to achieve the same purpose that may be less invasive and do not require disproportionate effort.
We'll then let you know whether we have accepted your objection and the reasons for our decision.
If your objection has been accepted, we will ask you to verify your account so we can finalize your objection.
What happens if an objection is successful?
If your objection is successful, we will stop processing your information pursuant to your objection. In addition, if your objection is successful, you have a right to request the erasure of your information under article 17(1)(c) of the GDPR and article 17(1)(c) of the UK GDPR. You can make such a request at the same time as submitting an objection via the same email.
Can my objection be denied?
Yes, we can deny objections unless it relates to direct marketing. There may be several reasons for denying an objection such as:
  • We may rely on other legal bases than legitimate interests for the processing.
  • You have not provided sufficient information for us to assess whether you have valid grounds for such an objection.
  • After carrying out a balancing test, we consider that our (or others’) legitimate interests override your objection.
  • The processing is needed for legal reasons.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with WhatsApp Ireland Limited’s lead supervisory authority, the Irish Data Protection Commission, or any other competent data protection supervisory authority. If you live in the UK, you can lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
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