Facebook's Privacy Problems Get Real in Germany

[backtoblue]

Germany is about to remind Facebook Inc. that the tribulations of 2018 are far from over. In fact, they’re about to get even more real.

The country’s Federal Cartel Office intends to ban Facebook from collecting user data from third parties, the newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported. This will also prohibit data sharing between WhatsApp and Instagram, which Facebook own. Germany is concerned that Facebook users didn’t know they agreed to be tracked across the internet when they signed up for the firm’s offerings.

The regulator’s move could be a major obstacle to the social networking giant’s plans. With user growth and engagement stagnating, Facebook is increasingly focusing on improving the value of what it offers advertisers. That means doing a better job targeting ads to individual users in order to generate a better return on investment for brands.

Right now, any website hosting a Facebook “like” button or a link to “Share on Facebook” sends a cookie to the Menlo Park, California-based firm whenever a browser visits that site. Because engagement on its core platform is softening, those cookies can help the social media company build more complete user profiles. That in turn improves ad targeting.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/facebooks-privacy-problems-get-real-in-germany/2019/01/14/76ef9bfe-17fc-11e9-b8e6-567190c2fd08_story.html?noredirect=on


Bolding by OP

[Midnightwalk]

1. I hope gdpr takes a bite out of them

General Data Protection Regulation (gdpr) seems to prohibit this type of collection and sharing. I’m not an expert but had to take some training last year and this would alarm me and make me report. I wish there was even a prospect of getting similar regulations in the US.

These regulations went into effect in the EU last year. The penalties can be up to 20 million euros or 4% of global anual turnovers (revenue) whichever is larger

I’ve never signed up for facebook and avoid any link to them like the plague. The fact that they track us through sites that just have a link to them is not right.

[Claritie Pixie]

2. I hate facebook.