D/US: The desire for data faces a fine
Category: NachrichtenBy: B. Malinka - 2B Advice GmbH - the privacy benchmark
Johannes Caspar, Hamburg's Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, has instituted formal summary proceedings against the Social Network Operator Facebook.
The reason for these proceedings is the Facebook-used tool "Friendfinder". This tool offers users the opportunity to find the profiles of friends and acquaintances, and add them to their contact lists.
In these invitation and synchronization features, users' e-mail and cellphone address books are read out and compared with Facebook profiles. Those without a profile match would then be directly invited to join the social network.
Although the Facebook user must give his consent for the recorded data to be processed accordingly, he cannot however legally declare the necessary consent for those friends not yet registered by Facebook without being authorized by them to do so.
Mr. Caspar has now given the US company until 11 August to state their position on the issue. In the worst case, the data protection authorities can impose a fine of up to 300,000 euros.
Other networks also offer the "find a friend" option. These, however, do not permanently store the data of those not registered with the network.
The recording and long-term storage of personal data, and the use of such data for marketing purposes, is strictly prohibited if the person concerned has not given his/her consent for the data to be used in this way and no statutory authorization exists. The person concerned generally has to give his/her personal consent for his/her personal data to be processed.