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Facebook ‘like’ button declared illegal
Published: 19 Aug 11 18:05 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20110819-37073.html
Facebook’s ubiquitous ‘like’ button found on countless websites in Germany was declared in violation of the country’s strict privacy laws by a state data protection official on Friday.
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“Facebook can trace every click on a website, how long I’m on it, what I’m interested in,” he said. According to Weichert, all the information was sent to the US company even if someone was not a Facebook member.
Saying this contravened both German and EU privacy laws, Weichert demanded websites in Schleswig-Holstein remove the ‘like’ button from their offerings by the end of September or face a fine of up to €50,000.
He said Facebook probably used the data for advertising purposes and provided website operators an analysis of user traffic.
Facebook rejected Weichert’s claim and said in a statement that the website’s social plug-ins were in compliance with European data protection laws.
The company admitted the ‘like’ button could pass on information such as user IP addresses, but said the data was deleted after 90 days as per industry standard.
Facebook users remained in “full control of their data” while using social plug-ins, the statement said.
Just earlier this month, German data protection authorities also said Facebook’s new facial recognition feature was illegal and demanded the social networking site end its use and delete all related information.
By using state of the art technology, Facebook is able to suggest which friends might be in photos that users upload. But the feature has raised concerns among privacy advocates, who worry the site is saving sensitive biometric data.
DPA/The Local/mry
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Your comments about this article:
Can I recommend or is that forbidden too ?.
Heck, I am probably breaking the law by offering my opinion in this forum as that may lead to some insight as to my habits and feelings.
I think some people have way too much time on their hands and are just looking for that one big case that can make them famous.
Congrats, Herr Weichert, welcome to your fifteen minutes of fame. Hopefully it grants you everlasting love and adoration from millions....although it will most likely end with people saying "Herr Weichert? Who is that?"
Germany should just go ahead and ban German Facebook and Google. They are obviously not for them.
Hold on there ! I live here a blanket ban is a bit hard .
Your other point is bang on .
At the beginning of the movie Sonnenallee, the lead character narrating it remarks that in the DDR, more things are verbot than they are erlaubt.
Hmmm.
If you Like this comment, press any button. If you don't, press the anti-button.
While the idea of privacy on the internet is a silly thing - as soon as one logs onto a computer and goes on the net your info is available to anyone and everyone savvy enough to get it, the idea that business' use the FB like button to bolster their net identity creates a situation where normal people are having their private surfing habits researched. It is not merely a matter of ... hey.. they like us... the entire internet experience is not open to FB.
Perhaps some of you are too young to recognize the benefits and necessities of privacy... but it was a hard fought battle and I am glad that there are people out there looking out for the little guy.
Also, you don't have to click the actual button. If you're logged into FB, it's easy to track your internet travels on any site that has the embed code and link it to your profile directly.
Even if you're not a FB user at all, the same mechanism could still be used to collect data, similar to a lot of ad services.
Whether that bothers you or not is a matter of personal choice, but this could at least make more people aware of it.
As for posts that instantly draw "Fuehrer" and DDR rhetoric - it's a bit moronic.
Is this actually the case at this stage? It's an honest question. I believe you're referring to "Vorratsdatenspeicherung"?
The government doesn't really record any of those things and has no ability to do so (I hope), but would like to force the individual providers to store the data and access it if "necessary".
Personally I'd be totally against that, but I fail to see how it renders this attempt to limit FB data gouging invalid.
Simone and slimtots - sitting right there in that boat with you. I loathe GEMA!!!
And again, if someone doesn't want to "be tracked" *clutches pearls* then don't join Facebook. Do something else. But stop bothering the rest of us.
According to Sophos research, users of the Facebook social-networking site are too gullible in giving up personal information, which could make them the targets of identity theft, or worse.
Germans have always taken a more serious and realistic approach to this than Americans.
On the other hand, anytime you log on and post stuff, you are in essence letting the world know whatever you post. Your browsing habits can be recorded whether you know it or not, as that's just the nature of how computer works. You can always use an anonymous proxy to remain hidden. However there are so much stuff out there no one is interested in your family photo.
Banning a feature just because it might be an invasion of privacy is not constitutional as it violates free speech, but then again there are no provision for free speech in Germany.
LIKE US! :)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loonytech-Games/170173196379142
It's the same with the GEMA cutting Germany off from the rest of the world on You Tube, Spotify, Netflix etc. We're getting let behind and our freedoms are being cut.
Glad my business isn't in Schleswig-Holstein. Poor folks up there... Hope this stupidity doesn't spread to the rest of the country. Hope the courts stop this Herr Weichert.
Saying this contravened both German and EU privacy laws, Weichert demanded websites in Schleswig-Holstein remove the ¦#39;like¦#39; button from their offerings by the end of September or face a fine of up to €50,000."
If I have signed up for Farmville or Adobe then I have activated an agreement allowing such. As I understand it Weichert's concern is that the app "Like" transmits ALL users (regardless of their agreements or affiliation with FB) information to FaceBook whether they have ever agreed to it or not (you don't need to click the button to be monitored, just on a web page which has the "Like" app on it) and this is illegal under German Law. I suspect FB will bite the bullet and agree to modify the application to only apply to those who have prior agreements with them. I wish more privacy legislation was in place everywhere. At the moment if I want to stalk you (or any of your family) I just pay a large data miner like FB and they give me all of your info including addresses, pictures, habits and in many cases active location through cell phone apps. This is not good and there need to be some rules in the new Wild Cyber West.
But the EULA for Facebook demanded so much (including 100% tracking data, etc.) that I declined to sign up.
Sadly, some news sites require Facebook sign in to blog.
I contact them and suggest that they allow other signins, besides Facebook.
Notic that Facebook needs to download a monitoring program when you do sign up (this program does NOT appear on installed Program list, so is not easliy removed).
Just say 'No' to Facebook.