Bonn [Germany]: In a landmark regulation, Germany has restricted Facebook from combining user data f
Bonn [Germany]: In a landmark regulation, Germany has restricted Facebook from combining user data from different Facebook-owned sources like Whatsapp and Instagram, in a bid to limit the social media giant’s dominance in the German market for social networks.
The Bundeskartellamt, which is Germany’s national competition regulator, made the decision on Thursday, noting that the combination of data by Facebook had to be restricted unless and until there was complete and voluntary consent on the user’s part.
“If consent is not given for data from Facebook-owned services and third-party websites, Facebook will have to substantially restrict its collection and combining of data. Facebook is to develop proposals for solutions to this effect,” the agency noted in an official statement.
So far, Facebook has allowed its users to use the social media network, free of cost, under the precondition that the company can collect user data across Facebook-owned services and third party websites.
