• Germany edition
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Facebook comes under German law

Published: 20 Feb 10 13:17 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20100220-25389.html

The internet social network Facebook can now face prosecution in Germany in the case of privacy violations, the country's data protection commissioner Peter Schaar confirmed Saturday.

Since Facebook had opened an office in Hamburg on February 11, Schaar said that the company was now subject to Germany's strict data protection laws, the federal government official told broadcaster Deutschlandradio.

Facebook has access to the personal data of its users, but up until now, those living in Germany have had no legal protection from the unwanted use of that information.

But Schaar emphasised that the "first responsibility" lay with Facebook users, and advised them to read the terms and conditions of the social network website.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

07:20 February 22, 2010 by ColoSlim
And what about laws of censorship? Do Facebook user from Germany face the same censorship laws concerning a certain holocaust? If a Facebook user denies the holocaust, can Germany ask that it be removed for their site? I think Facebook should relocate its office somewhere outside of Germany.
08:31 February 22, 2010 by Talonx
ColoSlim, do you deny that the holocaust took place?
19:05 February 23, 2010 by Frenemy
I'm not familiar with ColoSlim's personal politics, but he raises quite a valid (technical, legal, and philosophical) question. According to German (and Austrian) law, historical revisionism of the years between 1939 and 1945 of any kind that paints Germany in a more positive/lighter shade of black is punishable by jail time.

So if I'm a German (originally signed up for the account at home in Germany) but I'm currently on vacation in Tennessee and blog something along the lines of "it was actually 5.5 million jews that were killed" or "there was no actual 'final solution', they just died from malnutrition/starvation/abuse/disease/etc"....am I gonna be escorted off the plane in handcuffs when I get back to Germany?
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