Germany’s antitrust watchdog objects to Facebook’s data collection practices
The cartel office objected in particular to how Facebook acquires data on people from third-party apps. Germany’s antitrust watchdog ordered a crackdown on Facebook’s data collection practices after ruling the world’s largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their knowledge or consent. “In future, Facebook will no longer be allowed to force its users to agree to the practically unrestricted collection and assigning of non-Facebook data to their Facebook accounts,” Cartel Office Chief Andreas Mundt said. The cartel office objected in particular to how Facebook acquires data on people from third-party apps — including its own WhatsApp and Instagram services — and its online tracking of people who aren’t even members. “The Bundeskartellamt underestimates the fierce competition we face in Germany, misinterprets our compliance with the GDPR, and threatens the mechanism European law provides for ensuring consistent data protection standards across the EU.” Voluntary Consent In its order, the Cartel Office said it would only be possible to assign data from WhatsApp or Instagram to Facebook subject to the voluntary consent of users.
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