May 25, 2018
Accusing Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, and Instagram of "intentionally" violating Europe's strict new privacy rules that officially went into effect on Friday, Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems filed four lawsuits against the tech companies arguing they are still "coercing users into sharing personal data" despite rolling out new policies ostensibly aimed at complying with the new regulations.
Titled the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new rules require companies to explicitly and clearly request consent from users before mining their data, and Schrems argues in his complaints--which seek fines totaling $8.8 billion--that Google, Facebook, and the Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp are still utilizing "forced consent" strategies to extract users' data when "the law requires that users be given a free choice unless a consent is strictly necessary for provision of the service," TechCrunch explains.
"It's simple: Anything strictly necessary for a service does not need consent boxes anymore. For everything else users must have a real choice to say 'yes' or 'no,'" Schrems wrote in a statement. "Facebook has even blocked accounts of users who have not given consent. In the end users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree'-button--that's not a free choice."
While Facebook--which is currently embroiled in international controversy following the Cambridge Analytica scandal--insists that its new policies are in compliance with Europe's new regulatory framework, Schrems argues that Facebook and Google aren't even attempting to follow the new law.
"They totally know that it's going to be a violation, they don't even try to hide it," Schrems told the Financial Times.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just hours away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jake Johnson
Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
Jessica Corbett
Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
Accusing Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, and Instagram of "intentionally" violating Europe's strict new privacy rules that officially went into effect on Friday, Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems filed four lawsuits against the tech companies arguing they are still "coercing users into sharing personal data" despite rolling out new policies ostensibly aimed at complying with the new regulations.
Titled the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new rules require companies to explicitly and clearly request consent from users before mining their data, and Schrems argues in his complaints--which seek fines totaling $8.8 billion--that Google, Facebook, and the Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp are still utilizing "forced consent" strategies to extract users' data when "the law requires that users be given a free choice unless a consent is strictly necessary for provision of the service," TechCrunch explains.
"It's simple: Anything strictly necessary for a service does not need consent boxes anymore. For everything else users must have a real choice to say 'yes' or 'no,'" Schrems wrote in a statement. "Facebook has even blocked accounts of users who have not given consent. In the end users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree'-button--that's not a free choice."
While Facebook--which is currently embroiled in international controversy following the Cambridge Analytica scandal--insists that its new policies are in compliance with Europe's new regulatory framework, Schrems argues that Facebook and Google aren't even attempting to follow the new law.
"They totally know that it's going to be a violation, they don't even try to hide it," Schrems told the Financial Times.
Jake Johnson
Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
Jessica Corbett
Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
Accusing Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, and Instagram of "intentionally" violating Europe's strict new privacy rules that officially went into effect on Friday, Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems filed four lawsuits against the tech companies arguing they are still "coercing users into sharing personal data" despite rolling out new policies ostensibly aimed at complying with the new regulations.
Titled the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new rules require companies to explicitly and clearly request consent from users before mining their data, and Schrems argues in his complaints--which seek fines totaling $8.8 billion--that Google, Facebook, and the Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp are still utilizing "forced consent" strategies to extract users' data when "the law requires that users be given a free choice unless a consent is strictly necessary for provision of the service," TechCrunch explains.
"It's simple: Anything strictly necessary for a service does not need consent boxes anymore. For everything else users must have a real choice to say 'yes' or 'no,'" Schrems wrote in a statement. "Facebook has even blocked accounts of users who have not given consent. In the end users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree'-button--that's not a free choice."
While Facebook--which is currently embroiled in international controversy following the Cambridge Analytica scandal--insists that its new policies are in compliance with Europe's new regulatory framework, Schrems argues that Facebook and Google aren't even attempting to follow the new law.
"They totally know that it's going to be a violation, they don't even try to hide it," Schrems told the Financial Times.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.