Weekly New/Digital Media (71)

Facebook facing privacy actions across Europe as France fines firm €150k



https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/16/facebook-facing-privacy-actions-across-europe-as-france-fines-firm-150k

Summary: "French regulator hits firm with maximum fine, while Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Spain continue investigations"


Key facts/ statistics:

• Facebook has been fined €150,000 (£129,000) by France’s data protection watchdog and is being investigated by Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain for data privacy violations around the tracking of users and non-users and the use of user data for advertising.
• In a statement CNIL said: “In particular it has been observed that Facebook proceeded to a massive compilation of personal data of internet users in order to display targeted advertising. It has also been noticed that Facebook collected data on browsing activity of internet users on third-party websites, via the “datr” cookie, without their knowledge.”
• The fine follows a deadline given to Facebook by the French watchdog last year to stop tracking non-users’ web activity without their consent, and an order to stop some transfers of personal data to the US.
• Likewise, the Netherlands found that Facebook violated Dutch data protection law for the 9.6 million social network users in the country, over the insufficient information given to users on how Facebook uses their data. 
•  Germany has taken issue with Facebook’s combining of WhatsApp user data with Facebook data
• Spanish data protection authority has opened two infringement procedures against the social network.
• The French fine, although small in relation to Facebook’s quarterly revenue of around $8bn, is the first significant action taken against a company transferring Europeans’ data to the US following an EU court ruling last year that struck down an agreement that thousands of companies, including Facebook, had relied on to avoid cumbersome EU data transfer rules.
• The transatlantic safe harbour pact – which provided guarantees of protection for EU citizens’ data transferred to the US – was ruled illegal last year amid concerns over mass US government snooping
• From data privacy to heavy criticism over how the social network takes down objectionable and extremist content, Facebook has found itself in the centre of a EU-US storm that is likely to rage for the next few years.
• A new EU data protection law is set to enter into force in 2018 that could fine companies up to 4% of their global turnover. 

My opinion:

It is clearly evident that Facebook is receiving a lot more criticism in recent years, especially these past two years, as data protection and privacy is becoming of increased concern of the general public. It is also going to be interesting if any other major platforms such as Google will soon be accused of doing something similar.