Clubhouse Faces Data Privacy Probe From French Watchdog CNIL

The inquiry will seek to determine if European data protection rules apply to Clubhouse.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 17 March 2021 18:07 IST

Clubhouse Faces Data Privacy Probe From French Watchdog CNIL

CNIL said it was unclear how Clubhouse was using members' personal information, and how secure data was

Highlights

Clubhouse offers digital "rooms" where members can start conversations
The invitation-only service became wildly popular during the lockdowns
In France, some politicians have used it to exchange directly with public

France's data privacy watchdog said Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into Clubhouse, the US audio chat app that has become a social media hit.

The inquiry will seek to determine if European data protection rules apply to the US company, the CNIL said in a statement, adding that it could take punitive measures if Clubhouse does not respect the legislation.

Clubhouse offers digital "rooms" where members can start conversations or drop into ongoing chats that can range from just a few participants to thousands of people.

Samsung Wins Patent for a Tri-Fold Smartphone With Specialised Barrier Layer for Improved Durability

Launched just under a year ago, the invitation-only service became wildly popular during the coronavirus lockdowns imposed around the world last year as people sought social interactions while stuck at home.

In France, some politicians, including Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, have also used it to exchange directly with the public.

But the CNIL said it was unclear how Clubhouse, which appears to have "no corporate entity within the European Union", was using members' personal information, and how secure the data was.

Clubhouse Announces Creator First Programme to Help 20 Aspiring Creators

It added that a petition in France with more than 10,000 signatures aimed to alert the agency to "potential breaches of privacy by the Clubhouse app".

Has the Redmi Note 10 Series raised the bar in the budget phone market in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.