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German court rules Facebook use of personal data illegal

reuters.com

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Re: German court rules Facebook use of personal data illegal

#5

Post by peoplewindow »

I think if I was creating a new social media website today I'd probably not set up any presence in the EU. The sheer quantity of fines for vaguely specified "crimes" being handed out makes it a deeply unattractive business environment and it seems to be getting worse. I remember when Facebook was new, one of its big competitive advantages was its easy and comprehensive privacy controls. I didn't see other social networks go significantly further in the years since. Now Germany - having failed to clone Facebook domestically (StudiVZ) - sits around extracting money on the grounds that users somehow did not consent to their data being used when they directly uploaded it to the site.

I don't see the Valley's hold on social networking loosening any time soon. For all its faults the USA doesn't constantly fine its firms for not doing "enough", whatever that means.

Re: German court rules Facebook use of personal data illegal

#6

Post by kome »

peoplewindow wrote: post #5

I think if I was creating a new social media website today I'd probably not set up any presence in the EU. The sheer quantity of fines for vaguely specified "crimes" being handed out makes it a deeply unattractive business environment and it seems to be getting worse. I remember when Facebook was new, one of its big competitive advantages was its easy and comprehensive privacy controls. I didn't see other social netw…

k bye

Re: German court rules Facebook use of personal data illegal

#7

Post by neuland »

If the appeal doesn't go Facebook's way, what is the resolution to this? It sounds like they'll just have to update their terms of service to say that you agree to allow Facebook to use your data in XYZ ways. Of course, that'll be buried in the fine print and no-one will even notice.

Re: German court rules Facebook use of personal data illegal

#8

Post by wickawic »

peoplewindow wrote: post #5

I think if I was creating a new social media website today I'd probably not set up any presence in the EU. The sheer quantity of fines for vaguely specified "crimes" being handed out makes it a deeply unattractive business environment and it seems to be getting worse. I remember when Facebook was new, one of its big competitive advantages was its easy and comprehensive privacy controls. I didn't see other social netw…

One way of thinking of legislation is to encourage/discourage behavior indirectly. Think how putting a ridiculous tax on cigarettes makes people less likely to want to use them. In this sense, the German government (and greater EU) may be completely fine in implementing these laws to discourage the presence of these types of companies operating in their jurisdiction. After all, it is hard to argue that social media as currently implemented (by large, foreign, data-hungry companies) is an inalienable right, and much easier to argue that it is a net drain on society.

Re: German court rules Facebook use of personal data illegal

#9

Post by imbusy111 »

peoplewindow wrote: post #5

I think if I was creating a new social media website today I'd probably not set up any presence in the EU. The sheer quantity of fines for vaguely specified "crimes" being handed out makes it a deeply unattractive business environment and it seems to be getting worse. I remember when Facebook was new, one of its big competitive advantages was its easy and comprehensive privacy controls. I didn't see other social netw…

Maybe the way we architect social networks online is fundamentally flawed? Maybe these products should not even exist. I'm not claiming I have a better solution though.
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