Halt WhatsApp data transfers, German privacy watchdog tells Facebook

Facebook must stop collecting information about WhatsApp users in Germany, a local privacy watchdog has ordered.Last month, Facebook began combining user data from WhatsApp, the messaging company it acquired in 2014, with the mountain of information it holds about members of its social network in order to better target advertising.The move prompted concern among WhatsApp users, as the company had long promoted itself as a strong protector of user privacy.Privacy regulators were also concerned, a