The German authorities have come down hard on Facebook after ordering the company to stop combining data collected from its platforms, as well as third-party networks, unless it gains explicit consent to do so.
Germany’s competition authority watchdog first started investigating Facebook’s data sharing practices in mid-2016, following claims that the social media giant uses other networks – like subsidiaries Instagram and Whatsapp, as well as Twitter and other websites – to collect masses of information about users without their knowledge.
Mundt argues that Facebook was able to build a “unique database” for individual users and gain market power. “In future, consumers can prevent Facebook from unrestrictedly collecting and using their data,” he said.
Facebook has over 95% of market share of daily active users of social media in Germany, and over 80% of monthly active users, the authority’s research found during a two-year probe into its activity.
The ruling only applies to the firm’s activities in Germany, but is likely to influence other regulators. And campaign group Privacy International said that if the German ruling holds, Facebook should extend the same rights to its other users.