WhatsApp LLC (Meta Platforms)

Enforcement notice issued; settled by court order. Information Regulator, 10 September 2024.

Record ID

za-ir-2024-0004

Jurisdiction

South Africa

Regulator

Information Regulator

Type

enforcement notice

Date decided

10 September 2024

Respondent type

private

Sector

technology

Violations

unlawful processing, inadequate consent mechanisms, failure to specify purpose, inadequate transparency, inadequate security safeguards, PAIA manual not accessible

Provisions cited

POPIA 2013, PAIA 2000

Outcome

enforcement notice issued; settled by court order

Status

final

Source

Official document ↗

Record verified

14 March 2026

Summary

The Information Regulator found that WhatsApp offered South African users weaker POPIA protections than the GDPR protections it gave EU users, and ordered it to amend its privacy policy, submit a personal information impact assessment, and update its PAIA manual. The matter was settled as a court-approved settlement in November 2025.

BIG-TECH · CONSENT · TRANSPARENCY · CROSS-BORDER

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