Europe clamps down on Meta's data collection; Norway ban goes regional
stackdiary.com
Norway has succeeded in getting a permanent, EU-wide ban imposed on Meta's collection of user data for targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram. This landmark ruling favors user privacy over corporate interests.

Norway has succeeded in getting the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) to make permanent and extend across Europe its ban on Meta (Facebook’s parent company) harvesting user data for targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram.

  • WaxedWookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1202·
    11 months ago

    Watch them cry foul, threaten to pull out, start a legal fight, then go nowhere like the abusive type they are.

    • nicetriangle@kbin.social
      622·
      11 months ago

      I wish they would pull out. It’s fucking ridiculous that so much of Europe is apparently just ok with using a Meta product for the defacto texting platform (WhatsApp).

      • Damage@feddit.itEnglish
        33·
        11 months ago

        Eh, it’s not like we started using it because it was Meta’s. They bought it when it was already popular, and switching everyone to something else is difficult.

        • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
          3·
          11 months ago

          Yeah, WhatsApp was ported to basically every single platform that was relevant in 2009-2010 when it launched: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Series 40 and Windows Phone. Supporting Blackberry and Nokia mobile OS which were huge at the time as well as the new smartphone OS’s was genius.

      • realharo@lemm.eeEnglish
        44·
        11 months ago

        Better than the US, at least in Europe you are not forced to buy a specific device just to be able to communicate.

        Who knows, if Facebook gets severely limited by these laws, maybe we’ll all switch to Signal or something.

        • lolcatnip@reddthat.comEnglish
          2·
          11 months ago

          I use Android and I exchange text messages with iPhone users all the time. They don’t use iMessage with me because my friends aren’t assholes.

        • nicetriangle@kbin.social
          23·
          11 months ago

          You’re not forced to buy a specific device there. They all text each other fine. You just don’t get fancy iMessage features if you’re on Android.

          • realharo@lemm.eeEnglish
            3·
            11 months ago

            “Fancy” features like group chats, or sending pictures that don’t look like ass?

            When every single alternative (other than RCS, ironically enough) just plain works. People just text, send each other pictures, participate in group chats, and it all just works, no matter the phone, computer, whatever, there are even just plain websites for many services.

          • lolcatnip@reddthat.comEnglish
            1·
            11 months ago

            You get all those features, just not with iPhone snobs who refuse to use acting but iMessage.

  • friend_of_satan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    671·
    11 months ago

    Meta’s practices also collected protected data like race, religion, and sexual orientation. Meta disputed that it needed explicit consent, arguing that agreeing to terms of service was enough, but courts rejected this.

    Oh please let this be the beginning of a global backlash against corporate EULA’s and the start of a path towards a few well understood EULA’s, similar to how we have a few well understood FOSS licenses.

  • levi@aussie.zoneEnglish
    311·
    11 months ago

    This is awesome but I don’t really understand.

    The purported issue is that they don’t have explicit consent for some data points. They apparently responded by saying they were going to charge a subscription.

    Why wouldn’t they just get consent? I’m sure most fb users will just agree to anything put in front of them.

    • Krapulaolut@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      61·
      11 months ago

      Facebook collects data from various sites and doesn’t care if you are a user or not.

      How can you get a consent from someone who doesn’t even know facebook collects data from?

      • ra1d3n@lemm.eeEnglish
        131·
        11 months ago

        This is the funny thing. You don’t. It has to be informed consent. ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪

    • MrOxiMoron@lemmy.worldEnglish
      37·
      11 months ago

      It’s about the part where they can’t hide the data collection in the terms and conditions of the site. You have to have a separate clear consent step for them to collect the data.

    • kubica@kbin.social
      23·
      11 months ago

      However, regulators have questioned whether the prices are too high to give users a real choice.

    • LazaroFilm@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      11 months ago

      I bet there is something like what of they don’t consent? Then they have the choice to pay the subscription instead of being denied access to the site and therefore not make any money for Meta.

  • erranto@lemmy.worldEnglish
    91·
    11 months ago

    I will only believe it when I see it. It has been a few years since the EU is threatening a ban and meta threatening to leave the EU, so far none has committed any action.

  • Tischkante@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    7·
    11 months ago

    They’re already starting their paid ad-free $10 a month tiers for Europe only. They’ll stop showing advertising to underage people “for now”. They’re going to flood Europe with garbage ads and maximize subscribers that way.

      • thethirdobject@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        11 months ago

        I know it’s a week-old thread, but I just received the notification on the Instagram app about the subscription and I have a few thoughts. First of all, here it’s actually 12 euros. As a relatively light user - I check Instagram maybe once or twice a day and FB once a week or every two weeks, just to keep in contact with people I don’t text -, that’s a lot of money to give to Meta for those services. I’m all for paying to have content without the tracking and the ads, but not 12 euros unfortunately. Which is, I guess, why they chose such a high price.

  • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago

    I’d just like to thank the EU for having the data privacy laws that I suspect most Americans want but can’t have because of the fact our country is owned by corporations