France Demands Facebook Stop Tracking Non-Users And Sending Data To US 

France Demands Facebook Stop Tracking Non-Users And Sending Data To US 

French authorities are not impressed with Facebook: The nation’s data protection authority has told the social network that it has just three months to stop tracking the browsing of non-users.

The French authorities have also demanded that the transfer of some personal data between European and US servers be brought to a halt, reports Reuters. That’s the first high-level request of its type since an EU court ruling last year which put the free transfer of data between the European Union and the US in doubt.

The so-called Safe Harbor arrangement allowed organisations based in the US to pull private data from servers in Europe across the Atlantic. But it was ruled illegal last year, and the deadline for finding alternative arrangements expired last week — allowing authorities to act against companies that violate it.

Meanwhile, French authorities also claim that Facebook’s placing of a cookie on the computers of non-users — which allows them to track their browsing habits — violates French privacy law.

For its part, Facebook reckons it complies with EU law. Speaking to Reuters, a member of staff from the social network explained that “[p]rotecting the privacy of the people who use Facebook is at the heart of everything we do. We… look forward to engaging… to respond to their concerns.”

French authorities say that if Facebook doesn’t act in three months it may be fined.

[Reuters]

Image by AP


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