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Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

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Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#31

Post by martin_a »

lzaaz wrote: post #26
martin_a wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but then they make it illegal for us to exchange our data for someone's service They (the EU) don't and I don't understand why you would understand it that way.

>EU privacy regulators say Facebook and Instagram must not force users to agree to tracking by putting this requirement into their terms. In the context of apps like Facebook or Instagram, which make money by tracking us to show us personalised ads, this is like saying that it is illegal for supermarkets to charge us for groceries, even if customers wanted to pay for them. What happens next? The supermarket closes, e…

Just show unpersonalized ads then. That's all.

Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#32

Post by celestialcheese »

criddell wrote: post #27
rvz wrote: post #14

Good. So the invasive tracking that TikTok and every other social network does in Europe should also be illegal as well then? If not, then is it's only a matter of time and eventual enforcement and outlawing this behaviour for everyone. Should not be just Meta; we need to go further and cover all social networks.

Does TikTok follow you around the web to a similar extent as Facebook? AFAIK, the regulation doesn’t cover only Meta. If forcing acceptance of tracking to use the service is illegal for Meta to do, then it’s also illegal for TikTok.

Yes. TikTok pixels are everywhere now, just not as prolific because it's newer.

Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#33

Post by clnq »

someweirdperson wrote: post #17

The story talks about an impact on ads. While this immediately translates to something monetary, this probably extends to all sorts of analysis of user-data and will limit features that ensure continued user-engagement, too. Like recommending friends of friends, flooding the timeline with something to keep the user busy, etc.

Friend recommendations on Facebook are so creepy. I have an unused, empty Facebook account that recommends connecting with people I know in real life, even if I don't use WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Oculus, or other Facebook products.

Some of these people recommended to me might have given Facebook access to their phone contacts, and that's how Facebook associated me with them. Or that's what I believe happened.

It is worrying that Meta's algorithms have relatively personal data about me when I never engaged with them much. It was pretty uncomfortable to find that out.

Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#34

Post by float4 »

martin_a wrote: post #24
zephrx1111 wrote: post #16

I don’t understand why Meta is always in the center on this problem, at least on most media. It is not relevant anymore. TikTok, or even Google should be the most concern now no?

I think with WhatsApp and Instagram under its control, Meta still has quite a reach. Facebook might be (rapidly) declining, but I didn't hear young people switch to Signal/Telegram in masses, because their parents are also using WhatsApp. Also: Yeah, there's TikTok, but I think Instagram is not dead yet for young(er) people.

> Facebook might be (rapidly) declining

From Meta's Q3 earnings release[0]:

> Facebook daily active users [...] were 1.98 billion on average for September 2022, an increase of 3% year-over-year.

[0] https://investor.fb.com/financials/default.aspx

Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#35

Post by class4behavior »

zephrx1111 wrote: post #16

I don’t understand why Meta is always in the center on this problem, at least on most media. It is not relevant anymore. TikTok, or even Google should be the most concern now no?

The usage of particular social platforms may differ significantly in each country. Don't treat the rest of the world the same as the US.

Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#37

Post by Nextgrid »

notimetorelax wrote: post #21
someweirdperson wrote: post #17

The story talks about an impact on ads. While this immediately translates to something monetary, this probably extends to all sorts of analysis of user-data and will limit features that ensure continued user-engagement, too. Like recommending friends of friends, flooding the timeline with something to keep the user busy, etc.

I disagree. GDPR has provisions for data use for core features of your product. For a social network connecting friends sounds core.

GDPR requires that data processing consent should be granular, so the user must be given a way to choose whether they want their data to be used for such purposes.

Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#38

Post by InCityDreams »

lzaaz wrote: post #9

If they can't show good ads in Europe, I assume that they will lose money and eventually have to close down here. I think that users have a right to know what happens to their data. But this is not a consent or information screen, this is the end of it. Europe tells us they do this for our own good, so we can own our data, but then they make it illegal for us to exchange our data for someone's service. Basically they…

I'll assume you're British. You can't elect your Prime Minister directly.

Probably the same in several other Eu parliaments, too.

Re: Facebook tracking is illegal in Europe

#40

Post by alkonaut »

codazoda wrote: post #6

It took 5 years for this to work its way through the system. Facebook can probably just iterate a little and fight for another 5 years.

If they challenge it, surely they still pay the fines retroactively if they lose? And given their size and how the fines are structured, couldn't it be very expensive to keep this in courts when it looks like a losing case on paper?
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