The social network the risk of a fine of up to 1% of its turnover, which amounted to $ 17.9 billion in 2015.
After Google and Apple, Margrethe Vestager rises to the assault of a new fortress : Facebook. The commissioner of competition sent Tuesday, December 20, at the star of the social network a statement of objections, accusing it of having provided information to “false” or “misleading” in the context of the purchase of WhatsApp in 2014. Information on which the Commission based its decision to authorize the operation.
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” companies are required to provide accurate information to the Commission, ” said the commissioner Danish. For its part, Facebook denies the accusations of Brussels. “throughout the process, we have provided specific information about our technical capabilities and our intentions, ” said a spokesperson for the giant in the field of Web. The american ” respects the Commission’s process “and is said to be ” confident that a full examination of the facts will confirm that he or she acted in good faith “.
The procedure does not endanger the acquisition at $ 22 billion (21,16 billion euros) of WhatsApp by Facebook. However, if the allegations were confirmed, the Commission could impose a fine of up to 1% of its turnover, which amounted to $ 17.9 billion in 2015.
The data exploitation operated by Facebook in question
At the heart of recriminations, the exploitation of the data carried out by Facebook on its various platforms. The european Commission ensures that in 2014 the social network had indicated, ” that he was not able to associate reliably and automatically its user accounts with those of WhatsApp “. But upon further reflection, Brussels considers that ” this technical possibility existed already in 2014 “, indicates the official letter of the Commission.
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To support its charge, the Commission relies on the changes made by Facebook in August 2016 in the privacy policy of WhatsApp, which has helped bring the phone numbers of its users to the profiles of the members of its parent company Facebook.
In September, the Brussels has led Facebook to temporarily stop, in November, sharing information of WhatsApp in Europe. In fact, the case had earned him Facebook many critics in Europe, including from the ” article 29 working party, which brings together the national authorities of data protection of the 28 member States of the european Union, including the CNIL in france.
The case falls badly for Facebook
source close to the american company, it was indicated that in 2014 the social network did not have the methods to properly associate all of the phone numbers to its platforms. It is only in 2016, the company of Mark Zuckerberg approached the european Commission to modify its privacy policy. She was looking for a means to recognize precisely its number of users across its various platforms.
According to his entourage, the social network would be unable, however, to make instant messaging “interoperable” – in other words, make them communicate between them, if only because WhatsApp offers by default to its users ‘ communications is fully encrypted. However, in 2014, the concern of Brussels focused on this specific point, and not on the simple analysis of user data.
The case falls ill for Facebook, which accumulates the difficulties in Europe. The company has been criticized for its inability to prevent the circulation of the ” fake news ” (false information). Germany, for example ,launched an investigation into anti-trust which focuses on the privacy practices of Facebook and the shortcomings of his policy of moderation in the face of the content that is hateful.
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