European Commission fines Facebook for breaking WhatsApp acquisition promise

In May 2017, the European Commission fined Facebook $122 million for providing incorrect or misleading information during its 2014 acquisition of WhatsApp. At the time of the acquisition, Facebook assured the EC that it would not be able to link its accounts database to that of WhatsApp. After the merger, Facebook went on to implement that linkage, and the EC found that Facebook staff knew even in 2014 that it was technically possible to do so. The EC could have imposed a larger fine, but said it had taken into account the company's cooperation during the inquiry. 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/may/18/facebook-fined-eu-whatsapp-european-commission
tags: Facebook, competition, mergers, WhatsApp, fines, regulatory actions, linking databases
Writer: Jennifer Rankin
Publication: Guardian