Anyone who uses WhatsApp or Instagram or simply surfs web will always transmit data to Facebook in certain circumstances. Because network in Germany dominates market, cartel office has now reprimanded this as problematic. The supervisory authority submitted its provisional legal assessment to Facebook in current proceedings because of suspicion of abuse of a dominant position. As a communication indicates, company acts abusively by making use “conditional on collecting unlimited any kind of user data from third-party sources and merging it with Facebook account”.
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These third-party sites include, in addition to company’s own services such as WhatsApp or Instagram, websites and apps of or operators that Facebook can access via interfaces. Such interfaces can be seen when Facebook’s Like button is included in offers of or websites. The link becomes especially clear when users can write comments about ir Facebook account on news pages from website. Often, under articles or postings, your profile image is already visible. The reason is that you are logged into Facebook with same browser. The user activity is n transmitted to Facebook, where it is collected and exploited.
“We see data collection outside social network of Facebook and its merging with Facebook account as problematic,” said Mr. Andreas Mundt, president of cartel Office. Users are not aware of fact that user data will flow to Facebook. As a dominant company, Facebook must take into account its business model that users cannot evade or social networks.
Mundt also criticized legal basis of approach of Facebook: “We do not see current state of affairs eir that this behavior of Facebook, data tracking and merging with Facebook account, an effective consent of users . “
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The use of Facebook requires registration and unrestricted acceptance of terms of use. “The user is asked to choose eir to accept ‘ total package ‘ or to refrain from using service, ‘ said Mundt. After a preliminary evaluation, terms of use of Facebook are “not appropriate at least on this point”. They violated data protection at expense of users.
Since 2016, cartel office has been examining wher Facebook as a “data driven company” is taking advantage of its dominant position on German market. No decision is expected before early summer 2018.
