Meta accused of ‘massive, illegal’ data collection operation by European consumer rights groups. | CNN Business::European consumer rights groups are accusing Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, of carrying out a “massive” and “illegal” operation of collecting data from hundreds of millions of its users in the region.
Lock zucc up
I detest meta as much as anyone but the idea it’s legally liable for collecting the data you are actively putting onto it’s sites is idiotic.
I detest meta as much as anyone
Mmmmm well, try harder.
It’s not necessarily the stuff you post, I actually think they don’t give a toss about your shoddy announcement of breakfast or casual whatevers. But they do love to collect your meta-data, to slap some ultra targeted ads right in your drooling facade and sell your profile to other advertisers for lolz and profit. Your IP address, your age and preferences, and the things you really like (for example your clicks on “like” but also your eye movements, your pauses when scrolling) instead of the things you say you like, tracking you across the whole goddamn internet. Also, you don’t need to be on Facebook at all to get tracked and sold (shadow profiles are the absolute shit).
It’s the law though. If you do business in the EU, you can only use data given to you for the exact purpose it was given to you for. If you want to sell it, you have to ask permission.
“We are gravely concerned about Meta’s practices,” a spokesperson for the Norwegian Data Protection Authority told CNN Thursday.
And yet Europeans will flock in droves to get everyone and their grandmother to make WhatsApp their default messaging app.
I tried so hard getting my family to switch to Signal and they just won’t. My mother did though! But we kept having calling issues so we had to switch back to whatsapp for that. Eventually we only used whatsapp again. Nobody else uses Signal and since they removed the functionality to receive text messages in the Signal app, i just removed it. It sucks because i want to use it.
It was the default before Facebook bought it, switching now is a pain in the ass
True. Well, it’s dystopia for us then.
Which is exactly why Facebook bought it.
I know, I’m just getting a little tired of people blaming individuals for still using Whatsapp
I mean, it sucks yes, but there has to be an acceptance that if you continue to use Meta products in the knowledge that Meta will rip you off for every shred of data that they can, then there’s not really a defence of ignorance any more.
Meta are absolutely a cunty company, but it’s not as if that’s not common knowledge any more.
It will only stay as the default messaging platform for as long as people bury their heads in the sand as tradeoff for convenience.
You say it’s common knowledge, but in my experience people don’t know this, and in a lot of cases people don’t give a shit
And Facebook is still working very hard to hide stuff like this from people, the reality is that unless you engage on platforms like this or are looking for it you won’t see it
They’ll be given another fine for an hour or so of profit.
So what? They should not fine them? Facebook is dead, mainly old people and ads are keeping it running. If you have any other ideas, please tell us!
I’m suggesting they should fine them an amount that will actually hurt.
The groups claim that Meta (META) collects an unnecessary amount of information on its users — such as data used to infer their sexual orientation, emotional state or even their susceptibility to addiction — which they are unable to freely consent to.
“With its illegal practices, Meta fuels the surveillance-based ads system which tracks consumers online and gathers vast amounts of personal data for the purpose of showing them adverts,” the BEUC said in a statement.
Last May, EU regulators fined the tech giant a record-breaking €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) for violating GDPR rules by transferring the personal data of Facebook users to servers in the United States.
In October, EU regulators forced Meta to start asking for explicit consent from its users to process their personal information for the purpose of delivering them targeted advertisements.
But the BEUC argued Thursday that Meta’s subscription service offers users “an unfair and misleading choice” as its data processing isn’t transparent, meaning users cannot know how subscribing would change the way their information is processed. Moreover, Meta’s market dominance means that users cannot easily leave its platforms without cutting themselves off from their family and friends.
And I’m sure that a years-long court battle that results in a fine of 0.01% of their hourly revenue will totally teach them a lesson! Again!
