Facebook Like collecting data in illegal way, rules German court
The ruling came in the matter of a shopping website using the Facebook Like button on its website. The court banned has banned it from using the Like function on its pages if it did not first warn customers their data was being recorded. The retailer will now be forced to warn users that ‘liking’ the site on Facebook grants permission for the company to log their IP address.
The Fashion ID site, run by the Peek & Cloppenburg brand, was warned that it could be fined 250,000 euros ($275,000) for every breach of the order, seen by AFP.
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However, the ruling may have a far reaching impact on the way
Facebook Likes are incorporated by websites operating in Germany. “A
mere link to a data protection statement at the foot of the website does
not constitute an indication that data are being or are about to be
processed,” the court said. The ruling may have implications in other
European countries as well.
Fashion ID was taken to court by consumer organization
Verbraucherzentrale who accused the site of failing to adhere to
Germany’s data protection laws.