Hindustan Times (Patiala)

German antitrust authoritie­s restrict Facebook data use

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German antitrust authoritie­s ruled on Thursday against Facebook combining user data from different sources, saying it was exploiting its position as a dominant social media company in violation of European regulation­s.

The Federal Cartel Office, or Bundeskart­ellamt, said Facebook was guilty of “exploitati­ve abuse” by forcing users to agree allow it to collect data from other Facebook-owned services like WhatsApp and Instagram, as well as third-party websites through the “Like” or “Share” features, and assign it to a user’s Facebook account.

“On the one hand there is a service provided to users free of charge,” Cartel Office president Andreas Mundt said. “On the other hand, the attractive­ness and value of the advertizin­g spaces increase with the amount and detail of user data. It is therefore precisely in the area of data collection and data use where Facebook, as a dominant company, must comply with the rules and laws applicable in Germany and Europe.”

Facebook said it rejected the decision, and would appeal within the one-month frame before it becomes final. If the ruling is upheld, Facebook will be required to allow users to specifical­ly approve data collected from other Facebook-owned sources and third-party websites be assigned to their accounts.

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