Facebook Loses Belgium Privacy Lawsuit

[Lucian Armasu]

A district court in Belgium ruled that Facebook is violating Belgium and EU privacy laws by tracking users across the web without obtaining valid consent from them and telling them how the data is processed and for how long.

Facebook Loses Belgium Privacy Lawsuit : Read more

 

[canadianvice]

While I can appreciate someone wanting to maintain their privacy .... I've always wondered why exactly people on FaceBook of all things expect it? The company is very forward with the fact you're the product.

 

[derekullo]

Facebook's service/job is quite literally to invade your privacy, as much as you are willing to say/type, in exchange for ease of communication with others.

The lawsuit is about Facebook tracking the other sites you go to using the datr cookie so that they can then target you with ads.

For instance lets say you check Facebook and wish your grandmother happy birthday.
You then goto walgreens.com and check for some aspirin.

The datr cookie is able to record that visit and report back to Facebook to send over some aspirin ads.


I do find privacy lawsuits with Facebook to have quite a bit of irony, but I guess the privacy line has to be drawn somewhere ...


Having said all that I am able to block 99% of all cookies and ads using a combination of:

Custom hosts file from winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Noscript
Adblock+
Adguard DNS

 

[Rock_n_Rolla]

Well if they got FB fined for tracking users and exploiting users web behavior for ad purposes and for other data minning purposes, i assume Google will be the next in the line who will got fined big time as well.

IMO, no matter how EU fined FB or Google, the fact still remains that even if these two loose their tracking ability to make their ad posting business more profitable, these two will simply use their ad features to throw users different ads eventho its not relevant to the users while using the FB app or chrome.

--Same <mod edit> in other words... In order to secure user data in FB, the EU must demand total Ad removal from FB app so there's no need or no sense of tracking their users anymore because it would be a waste of time doing it and would get nothing about it.

But im sure it wont happen bcoz and FB will fight EU to their last breath, with out targeted ads in FB or google, they loose their profitability since they earn from ads thru it.

 

[berezini.2013]

Rock_n_rolla, if they remove ads and sneaky ways to make money off users then they would have to file for bankruptcy. The companies in question are leaches. They only exist because you allow them to.

 

[friedlander.m.s]

Only 30% of USA population is smart enough to "not" use facebook.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Social Media = spying tools.

 

[therealduckofdeath]

It is bad that companies like Facebook, Google and their likes use hidden third party browsing data about their users to aggressively target ads. Though, I think authorities should focus more on the dangerous social engineering experiments these companies do by using similar information to generates Internet traffic for profits, no matter how much damage those experiments do to society.

 

[milkod2001]

They also should really look into FB and Google adsense. Companies are paying $millions to get into search results. Then FB and Google are charging for the clicks / interactions. Are those clicks reals clicks or just fake bots click? Is there any way how to track authenticity of clicks down?

 

[shrapnel_indie]

Facebook argued that it could use the datr cookie to identify PCs infected by botnets. Earlier, Facebook had also announced that the datr cookie would be used for advertising purposes as well.

could does not equal are. FB was grasping at straws to justify their data mining.

The cookies and pixels we use are industry standard technologies and enable hundreds of thousands of businesses to grow their businesses and reach customers across the EU. We require any business that uses our technologies to provide clear notice to end-users, and we give people the right to opt-out of having data collected on sites and apps off Facebook being used for ads.

Industry standard? Maybe, maybe not. Their requirement to have any business that uses their tech, here in the States, to clearly inform users is a bit of a joke. Is this requirement EU only, just to have a claim for privacy compliance in the EU? Sad if it is, especially concerning the amount of people who use it daily to connect with friends, family, and the special interest groups formed on there.

 

[shrapnel_indie]

Social Media = spying tools.

And... obviously, in more ways than one.

 

[Vatharian]

> We are disappointed with today’s verdict

That's expected.

> and intend to appeal.

That's your right.

> Over recent years we have worked hard to help people understand how we use cookies to keep Facebook secure

this has nothing to do with the topic.

> and show them relevant content.

This has again nothing to do with data collection and right to sue.

> We’ve built teams of people who focus on the protection of privacy - from engineers to designers - and tools that give people choice and control.

Ok.

> The cookies and pixels we use are industry standard technologies

Yes, and the top of Mount Everest tends to be cold.


> and enable hundreds of thousands of businesses to grow their businesses and reach customers across the EU.

You're social platform, not Business Incubator.

> We require any business that uses our technologies to provide clear notice to end-users,

Yet you failed to do it yourself.

> and we give people the right to opt-out of having data collected on sites and apps off Facebook being used for ads.

Apparently no one is aware of that. Wonder why?

> We are preparing for the new General Data Protection Regulation with our lead regulator the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.

It doesn't have anything to do with Belgium.

> We’ll comply with this new law,

We hope you will.

> just as we’ve complied with existing data protection law in Europe.

If you did you wouldn't lost the suit.

 

[blazorthon]

Facebook collects data even from people who are not Facebook users and are accessing websites that are not Facebook nor owned by Facebook. Anytime a website has a like button or such, Facebook is tracking you on that site without any indication and without any possible way of giving or refusing to give consent. That is a big part of what the latest series of lawsuits are about.

 

[derekullo]

just as we’ve complied with existing data protection law in Europe.

If you did you wouldn't lost the suit.

To be fair, if you get caught speeding and pay the fine, the fine isn't reimbursed if you never speed again.