EU privacy proposal could dent Facebook, Gmail ad revenue

An illustration photo shows a man holding a smart phone with a Facebook logo as its screen wallpaper in front of a WhatsApp messenger logo, in Zenica February 20, 2014. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

BRUSSELS: Online messaging services such as WhatsApp, iMessage and Gmail will face tougher rules on how they can track users under a proposal presented by the European Union executive on Jan 10 which could hurt companies reliant on advertising. 

The web companies would have to guarantee the confidentiality of their customers' conversations and get their consent before tracking them online to target them with personalised advertisements.