France tells Facebook it must stop tracking non-users and sending data to the US

[midian182]

Facebook has become the first major company to feel the fallout from the Safe Harbor agreement being ruled invalid last year after the French data protection authority gave the social networking site three months to stop some transfers of personal data to the United States. It also ordered the firm to stop tracking the browsing habits of non-users.

The 15-year old Safe Harbor agreement, which allowed US companies to easily receive information from European servers and avoid cumbersome EU data transfer rules, was ruled illegal in October amid concerns over US government spying.

The European Court of Justice gave companies certified under Safe Harbor three months to come up with an alternative data transfer pact - a deadline that expired last week. This means regulators – in this case it’s the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) – can start taking legal action against companies that still rely on Safe Harbor.

“Facebook transfers personal data to the United States on the basis of Safe Harbour, although the Court of Justice of the European Union declared invalid such transfers in its ruling of October 6, 2015,” the CNIL said in a statement.

The CNIL also said that Facebook's use of cookies to track non-members of its site without informing them was a violation of French privacy law.

Facebook has claimed that it no longer uses Safe Harbor and added that it “has set up alternative legal structures to continue its transfers in line with EU law.” It seems that the CNIL isn’t convinced; the data protection agency has given Facebook three months to comply with its request or it could be fined.

"Protecting the privacy of the people who use Facebook is at the heart of everything we do. We ... look forward to engaging with the CNIL to respond to their concerns,” a Facebook spokeswoman said.

Facebook isn’t having an easy time in Europe at the moment; in addition to mounting problems in Germany, the CNIL’s anti-tracking order follows a similar demand made by a Belgian court last November.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/63754-france-tells-facebook-must-stop-tracking-non-users.html

 

[Duckeenie]

I know it's early doors but no mention of the UK govt. getting involved there, which is a bit sad, considering how quick they are to implement corporate protection.

Maybe we could fund a Kickstarter to raise our own "cash for questions".

 

[umbala]

"Protecting the privacy of the people who use Facebook is at the heart of everything we do." <-- LOL! Hilarious. Let me correct that so it makes more sense. "Making money off the people who use Facebook is at the heart of everything we do." There, that's better.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I agree with the French decision. People who want FB are welcome to it but stop trying to ram it down the throats of others who are not interested. FB annoyed the living crap out of me, they used to keep bugging me to reopen my account after I'd closed it until I set the filters on my email account to delete everything from them without me ever knowing it was sent.

 

[Underdog]

I agree with the French decision. People who want FB are welcome to it but stop trying to ram it down the throats of others who are not interested. FB annoyed the living crap out of me, they used to keep bugging me to reopen my account after I'd closed it until I set the filters on my email account to delete everything from them without me ever knowing it was sent.

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. I joined to find out what all the fuss was about, to try to understand why everyone suddenly wants to put their entire personal life online for all to see and comment on. Farcebook is not for me.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. I joined to find out what all the fuss was about, to try to understand why everyone suddenly wants to put their entire personal life online for all to see and comment on. Farcebook is not for me.

Yup. It happens a lot. I did exactly the same thing, it's definitely not for me either.

 

[captaincranky]

Dear God, at least the NSA doesn't try to sell you s***.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Dear God, at least the NSA doesn't try to sell you s***.

I'm not so sure about that, people do as people do! But it is only people like Snowden that trade their secrets that get attention.

 

[captaincranky]

I'm not so sure about that, people do as people do! But it is only people like Snowden that trade their secrets that get attention.

C'mon Cliff, when was the last time you saw a flash ad from the NSA trying to sell you night vision goggles?. AFAIK, they don't even have a walk in store for surveillance gear...

I would like to know if Snowden is getting lucky over there in Russia. At least when they're young, those Snegurochka wannabes are muy caliente!

 

[cliffordcooley]

C'mon Cliff, when was the last time you saw a flash ad from the NSA trying to sell you night vision goggles?. AFAIK, they don't even have a walk in store for surveillance gear...

The NSA has all the other stores collecting information for them, they don't need their own. They even intercept data from undersea fiber-optics.

I would like to know if Snowden is getting lucky over there in Russia. At least when they're young, those Snegurochka wannabes are muy caliente!

Sure why not but I'd prefer not going there on a non-sex site.

 

[captaincranky]

The NSA has all the other stores collecting information for them, they don't need their own. They even intercept data from undersea fiber-optics.
Sure why not but I'd prefer not going there on a non-sex site.

Snegurochka is the Russian "Snow Maiden", at least as far as Nicolai-Rimsky Korsakov is concerned, who wrote an opera about her. "Lucky", is a rather common euphemism, usable in even mixed company. While, "muy caliente", means "very hot", in Spanish.

I'm not quite sure what I've said to deserve the lecture, but perhaps, much like yourself, I sometimes miss sarcasm.

BTW, in English, "maiden", is virtually a synonym of, "virgin". Basically, a "maiden", is a young woman being given the benefit of the doubt...

I would have stated that I still think Snowden is a traitor, a feeling I'm pretty sure you and I don't share.

I made a choice, an argument on espionage, or a lecture on Victorian morality. I picked the latter.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I'm not quite sure what I've said to deserve the lecture, but perhaps, much like yourself, I sometimes miss sarcasm.

How about we shake hands and call it a day.

 

[captaincranky]

How about we shake hands and call it a day.

Oh Cliff, that offer sounds like such a sweet deal.

OTOH, you know how much I enjoy brinkmanship and semantics, and it seems you're trying to take my most sacred pleasures away.

Counter proposal, how about if we play it by ear?

Oh and BTW, I left another somewhat salty post over at "Site Feedback" just for you.

Might want to check that out before you commit to anything,,,,