Facebook closes $19B deal for WhatsApp

FACEBOOK，一間掌握著全世界最多用戶的社交網絡平台，繼政府逼迫YAHOO送上用戶資料，FACEBOOK亦將WHATSAPP成功變成全資擁有。正所謂LEVERAGE ON MONEY！由一間年入20億美元公司，遙身一變掌握全球人的資料的數據庫，無論你是誰，你呀媽是誰，你祖宗十八代，你去過邊度，做過咩，同任何人又交流，講過D咩，一目了然。諗落，幾SCARY！ (note: remember to read my previous article: Facebook將成為銀行家們最大的武器?)



The closing of the deal follows last week's regulatory approval from the European Commission.
by Lance Whitney @lancewhit October 6, 2014 8:13 AM PDT

Facebook now officially owns messaging app WhatsApp.

On Monday, the social network confirmed the closing of the deal in a document filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The document confirms that WhatsApp will live on as a wholly owned subsidiary of Facebook and that WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will become a member of Facebook's board of directors.

On February 19, Facebook revealed that it planned to pay $19 billion in cash and stock to acquire the popular messaging app, the largest deal in the company's history. As part of its attempt to win regulatory approval, Facebook promised that WhatsApp would remain a separate entity. The deal stillraised privacy concerns from the Federal Trade Commission.

Though the FTC granted approval, the agency cautioned both Facebook and WhatsApp to continue WhatsApp's policy of not collecting usernames, locations, email address or other data, and that the company not share users' phone numbers with third parties.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Koum promised that WhatsApp's privacy policies would stay the same. But the FTC said it would keep a watchful eye on the two just to be sure.

"Hundreds of millions of users have entrusted their personal information to WhatsApp," Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich told Facebook and WhatsApp in a letter in April. "The FTC staff will continue to monitor the companies' practices to ensure that Facebook and WhatsApp honor the promises they have made to those users."