View: Get on with our data protection law

Facebook is accountable for many sins of omission and commission, and whether buying WhatsApp to pre-empt competition is one of them is being determined by a judicial process in the US. Compared to these, WhatsApp’s decision to change its user agreement to make it clear that it will share some data with Facebook properties is a minor infraction.

Only the innocent fail to appreciate that when you get a service for free, you pay for it with your data. Google, for example, knows not only who you correspond with over mail and chat, but what your browsing habits are, where all you go, what your engagements are, as well. It targets its ads better, using this information, and makes more money.