Facebook’s under pressure once again from European authorities over the amount of data it collects, according to a string of reports that hit over the weekend. In particular, the focus is on an meeting this week between data protection officials from across the continent that could spell trouble for the world’s most powerful social network.
According to the U.K.’s Telegraph, the signal is that they will move to curb Facebook’s collection methods: a move is led by Viviane Reding, the commissioner in charge of human rights. She is already pushing hard to stop all sorts of services collecting too much data on users… even if that data is held outside Europe.
In a report suggesting that Facebook “faces a crackdown on selling users’ secrets to advertisers”, the newspaper quotes Reding as saying that social media services are being watched particularly closely:
“I call on service providers – especially social media sites – to be more transparent about how they operate. Users must know what data is collected and further processed (and) for what purposes.
“Consumers in Europe should see their data strongly protected, regardless of the EU country they live in and regardless of the country in which companies which process their personal data are established.”
The story has sparked a fresh wave of coverage of Facebook’s data policies, though it’s fair to point out that European authorities have long had their eyes on the data collected by social networks.
Scrutiny of Facebook in particular has increased as the site has become larger and larger. And in addition, the questions have stepped up a level in the last month or two since the case of Austrian student Max Schrems highlighted the amount of data that the company stores on users.
Schrems, a 24-year-old law student from Vienna, filed a request to get a copy of all the data that Facebook held about him — and received a stunning 1,222 pages of information in return.
So does this sudden spurt of stories tell us anything new? Not really.
My information is that this week’s meeting is unlikely to surface anything radically new, but merely another step forward for the already-controversial EU privacy directive, which is slowly coming into force across the continent.
But it does underscore the struggles between technology companies and the authorities over the way data is collected and used online.
Facebook admitted as much recently when, in testimony to a German parliamentary committee, the company’s top European lobbyist Richard Allan (previously an elected politician in Britain) that it would “do more” to work with them. The question is what “doing more” really means.
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RT @socialmediastrg: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/qqEyK0WO
gigaom: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/z0DAGmLs
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? /by @bobbiejohnson http://t.co/ptSPHC4B
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RT @gigaom: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/z9fQDwk7
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Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/PvLMb5Te via Bobbie Johnson
And the problem is… where, exactly?
Imho, EU is actually pertinent. It’s exactly that story about that user that should go public. It’s abnormal for a company to know more about a person than that person actually knows about itself.
And this is not necessary about advertising, it’s about moral consequences. It’s about this – http://mnl.st/post/13365920199/facebook-product-is-you
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/G9W9v1a6
RT @gigaom: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/Yq9FS7vD
RT @gigaom: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/z9fQDwk7
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/V8eOEio5
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New post: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/jvPUYwyE (@GigaOM)
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Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/EDzW1bIQ
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RT @gigaom: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/z9fQDwk7
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All for social media, but gd to try & keep in check — Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/rEtz1xUc
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RT @TinaCook: RT @GigaOm: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/ZYnQMRdD
RT @gigaom: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/z9fQDwk7
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RT @privacysucks: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/mnI0TCRZ
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/bfjbyZs9
Facebook’s under pressure once again from European authorities over the amount of data it collects. http://t.co/dsK4xGBV
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? Reports this weekend suggest that Facebook is #voip #telcom http://t.co/3FSGZAAq
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RT @gigaom: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/z9fQDwk7
Europe scrutinizes #Facebook’s data collection — again? | Tech News and Analysis – http://t.co/d6gDbYRo #privacy #in
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[TechResearch] Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again?: Facebook’s under pressure once again … http://t.co/iARENMKi #ID
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/LQSg9X6n
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Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? — Tech … http://t.co/7zfHz1iY
I woudl be more concerened about the data the creditcard and banks have on us – the BBC had a story yesterday on money box about victims of identity fraud where all banks band them from having any bank acount – with no redress or way of chalenging the data they hold on you
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RT @Jankovitch: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/W1X4d0oy
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Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again?: Facebook’s under pressure once again from Eu… http://t.co/oNrkSTC9 Via. GigaOM
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/GGzxpNAX
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection http://t.co/lBNy8YN4 #privacy #socialmedia –> #FB user of 3yrs had 1222pages of personal data
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Student receives 1,222 pages about him from FB. Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/QtN8MnJa
Any website visitor should assume that service providers collect as much as they could. Not there lies the problem. The worry is how many facebook employees can misuse the data as a source of personal power. But again the question is whether that is an internal company matter or public matter.
Max’s privacy war brings Facebook to heel http://t.co/5ugjCDAE ht Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection—again? http://t.co/ETXCL3Nw
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/yOCM5oe2
Europe scrutinizes #Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/Pc5NkK2u
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/ETZwhuzm — one of @maggiemcg’s favorite topics ;)
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/QAYCJdjl
I like the idea of data storing on websites becoming more transparent – especially Facebook, a company that is notorious for changing its privacy policies without notice and using its customers information with advertisers. I think Facebook would be smart to adhere to some of these concerns – customers want to know how their data is being used, and if it’s being abused they might consider finding a new social network.
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/zdI1nyqP
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/f1Rde7ld
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RD @Liberationtech Europe scrutinizes Facebooks data collection again? http://t.co/0NGF88dR <<eternal vigilence!
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RT @Liberationtech: Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? http://t.co/dzGDDyQP
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? — Tech News and Analysis: http://t.co/IXRt7C3X
#Europe scrutinizes #Facebook’s data collection — again? — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/pictBNGP via @Diigo #socialmedia
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again? — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/Zt0dHeyn