Posted on 08/19/2011 3:01:58 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Facebook’s ubiquitous ‘like’ button found on countless websites accessible in Germany was declared in violation of the country’s strict privacy laws by a state data protection official on Friday.
Hackers gather around the computer campfire (11 Aug 11) Thilo Weichert, who works for the data protection centre of the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, said the social network’s application allowing internet users to express their appreciation of something online, illegally cobbled together a profile of their web habits.
“Facebook can trace every click on a website, how long I’m on it, what I’m interested in,” he said. According to Weichert, all the information was sent to the US company even if someone was not a Facebook member.
Saying this contravened both German and EU privacy laws, Weichert demanded websites in Schleswig-Holstein remove the ‘like’ button from their offerings by the end of September or face a fine of up to €50,000.
He said Facebook probably used the data for advertising purposes and provided website operators an analysis of user traffic.
Facebook rejected Weichert’s claim and said in a statement that the website’s social plug-ins were in compliance with European data protection laws.
The company admitted the ‘like’ button could pass on information such as user IP addresses, but said the data was deleted after 90 days as per industry standard.
Facebook users remained in “full control of their data” while using social plug-ins, the statement said.
I totally agree with this, have mentioned it here on FR, and got pounded for it...
If you have an FB cookie on your machine, and you click on a website with a “like” button, SOMEBODY knows that you visited that website.
Lots of times you will see “Be the first of your friends to like this...”
Hey!!! IT KNOWS!
Just taking a picture of someone’s house in your neighborhood in Germany, and posting it online....will invite accusations of invading people’s privacy.
I spent fifteen years in the country (leaving in 2009). Ninety-eight percent of the nation of Germany under 25 is hooked to the internet....but when you talk about the population over fifty, it’s probably less than twenty percent.
Interesting. Having corporations building the type of psychological profiles they can using information that they share with one another is a mixed blessing. On the one hand it allows you to be marketed to in a more efficient manner, on the other hand it builds up a database of personal information, accessible many people who don’t need it. It’s like the Obamacare pizza video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx9i9TDiYdA
Big brother is always watching.
Yep. Like any other technology, it can be used for good or nefarious purposes.
Duh! That's another reason not to have FB. It's worse than google.
Not true.
Even without clicking the “like” button, they have already recorded that you were on that web page.
Run with NoScript Firefox extension. You can granularly control what java scripts run.
Last year I went through “Opt In” vs “Opt Out” training.
Different rules for EU vs USA.
Google can do that and MORE.
Thanx for the tip.
Can you turn off that damn “Google-Analytics” also?
I would like to know how FB knows I love Pepperidge Farm Cookies...there’s not a day when there isn’t an ad for them on my page and I’ve never mentioned them...
Is JimRob selling my data to FB during the Freepathons? LOL!
“That’s another reason not to have FB. It’s worse than google. “
That’s one of the reasons I’ll have nothing to do with these “social networking “ sites. I constantly have friends trying to get me to join them on Facebook. It’s also why I use Ixquick as my search engine. No tracking my IP, and no cookies.
Do you use a shopping card (Kroger Plus card, etc) at the supermarket?
Have you ever visited the Pepperidge Farm web site?
That is two ways I can think of.
Nope. No store cards for me.
I probably DID ‘Like’ Pepperidge Farm somewhere along the way. ;)
“I would like to know how FB knows I love Pepperidge Farm Cookies...”
EVERYBODY loves Pepperidge Farm cookies!
I want a “Hate This!” button. And I want it to push itself automatically on anything related to Facebook
Do you have a camera on your computer? Were you eating Pepperidge Farm cookies while Freeping?;-)
Well now I know I’m going to Prison ... I have said often that I will not participate in Obamacare and I will not pay the fine ... recently found out that... that means i have to close all of my Bank Accounts because they gave themselves permission to deduct from my accounts ... now this? I’m so screwed ...
TT
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