Just over a month after Facebook updated its privacy policy, a Dutch-government affiliated watchdog has said that it will investigate the changes, asking the company to hold off its implementation, which is scheduled for January 1.
Justifying the move, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) explained that because the social networking giant has a company presence in the Netherlands, and the fact that the firm was using Dutch citizens' details, the regulator had the authority to act as a supervisor. "The DPA wants to know what the consequences will be for Facebook users in the Netherlands," it said.
Commenting on the matter, a Facebook spokesperson said the company was “surprised and disappointed to learn about the DPA's inquiry," adding that Facebook’s international headquarters are in Dublin, and the company has already got the changes approved by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, which is the company’s official regulator in Europe.
Facebook also confirmed that it will not delay the introduction of its new privacy policy in the wake of the Dutch watchdog’s warning.
The news comes just a day after the DPA warned Google that it was breaching the country’s data protection laws, alleging that the company combines users’ private data such as browsing history and location information from different services, including Google Search, Youtube, and more, to target them with tailored ads, but does so without adequately informing the users in advance.
The regulator has given the search giant until the end of February to fix the alleged breaches, failing which it could be slapped with a fine of up to €15 million ($19 million).
https://www.techspot.com/news/59184-dutch-watchdog-facebook-must-delay-new-privacy-policy.html
