Facebook says it needs to collect all your data to protect against terrorism and child abuse

Science & Tech 23:00 07.02.2019

Facebook was slapped with a ruling in Germany today that limits how the social media giant can collect data across its multiple platforms, like WhatsApp and Instagram. And Facebook is not happy about it, to say the least. The company says it’s collecting all of that data for your own good. They’re simply using their data sharing methods to protect you against terrorism and child abuse, according to Facebook. Seriously.

The Bundeskartellamt, Germany’s federal regulator of business competition, ruled that Facebook can no longer use data that it collects across different platforms without explicit permission from users. Facebook users in Germany and elsewhere previously had no way to opt out of the sharing of data between platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and third-party apps not owned by Facebook.

“The previous practice of combining all data in a Facebook user account, practically without any restriction, will now be subject to the voluntary consent given by the users,” Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellam, said in a statement.

The German regulator noted that it didn’t take issue with Facebook-owned services like WhatsApp and Instagram collecting data. It just didn’t like that one company was aggregating all of that data across multiple platforms. And the Bundeskartellamt alleges that Facebook has used this data collection in anti-competitive ways.

“The company has a dominant position in the German market for social networks,” the regulator said in a statement on its website this morning. “With 23 million daily active users [in Germany] and 32 million monthly active users, Facebook has a market share of more than 95 per cent (daily active users) and more than 80 per cent (monthly active users).”

The German regulator also noted that Google+ would be shutting down in April of 2019 and that Facebook’s other competitors like Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter only offer “parts of the services” that Facebook does.

But Facebook, which history will no doubt judge harshly as being a net negative for humanity, is pushing back and maintains that there’s real competition among social media platforms in the country.

“The Bundeskartellamt underestimates the fierce competition we face in Germany, misinterprets our compliance with GDPR and undermines the mechanisms European law provides for ensuring consistent data protection standards across the EU,” Facebook said in a statement.

Facebook claims that “over 40 per cent of social media users in Germany don’t even use Facebook,” which seems like an odd claim since 60 per cent market share would be considered monopolistic in almost any other industry. For example, Standard Oil had roughly 64 per cent market share in 1911 before it was broken up by the U.S. government for being a monopoly.

Facebook insists that combining all of that data is actually great. In fact, the company says, it’s keeping everyone safe from stuff like terrorism and child abuse.


IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Drone attack in Russia's Udmurtia leaves three dead, dozens injured
20:15 01.07.2025
Billionaire Musk vows to launch new political party if controversial Trump bill passes Congress
20:00 01.07.2025
Broken Friendship: Azerbaijan–Russia Relations INTERVIEW
19:40 01.07.2025
Baku to host D-8 Youth Forum in July
19:30 01.07.2025
Speaker: Armenia should seriously begin discussing issue of stopping broadcasting Russian TV channels
19:20 01.07.2025
Russian Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijani envoy handed verbal note
19:15 01.07.2025
Azerbaijan signs $173.5M loan agreement with WB for renewable energy project
19:00 01.07.2025
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan ink several documents to diversify economic partnership
18:45 01.07.2025
Another group of Ukrainian children arrive in Azerbaijan for rehabilitation
18:15 01.07.2025
IEPF Launches a Series of Trainings for NGOs
18:14 01.07.2025
Sahil Babayev: Azerbaijan aims to become green energy exporter
18:00 01.07.2025
Azerbaijani minister: Youth action plan to be drafted at international event in Aghdam
17:45 01.07.2025
Azerbaijan launches criminal case into killing of Azerbaijani brothers in Russia
17:30 01.07.2025
European diplomats visit West Bank town after deadly attack by Israeli settlers
17:15 01.07.2025
Poland’s president calls on gov’t to stop entry of migrants from Germany
17:00 01.07.2025
Artists, writers urge UK government not to ban pro-Palestine group
16:45 01.07.2025
China's Communist Party tops 100 million members in ‘significant milestone’
16:30 01.07.2025
China says ‘complicated’ boundary dispute with India will take time to resolve
16:15 01.07.2025
Severe weather batters Italy, leaving two dead and multiple regions on alert
16:00 01.07.2025
Azerbaijan detains Russian citizens in Baku suspected of drug trafficking, online fraud
15:50 01.07.2025
China sanctions former Philippines senator over 'egregious conduct' on Beijing-related issues
15:30 01.07.2025
Meta fined over $512,000 by Taiwan for lack of transparency over advertisers
15:15 01.07.2025
Trump says Musk would ‘head back to South Africa’ without US subsidies for EVs
15:00 01.07.2025
Azerbaijani brothers murdered in Russia hit with blunt instrument, examinations reveal
14:45 01.07.2025
Kazakhstan commends top-tier organization of ECO Youth Forum in Azerbaijan's Aghdam
14:30 01.07.2025
U.S. Charge d'Affaires hails Azerbaijan’s support in ensuring safe evacuation country's citizens from Iran
14:15 01.07.2025
Slovakia appoints Azerbaijani native as ambassador to Baku
14:00 01.07.2025
Fitch reveals forecast for Azerbaijan's state budget deficit in 2025
13:45 01.07.2025
WSJ: Amazon is on the cusp of using more robots than Humans in its warehouses
13:30 01.07.2025
Politico: EC ready to allow countries to restrict access to social networks by age
13:15 01.07.2025
Azerbaijani brothers murdered in Russia hit with blunt instrument, examinations reveal
13:00 01.07.2025
Azerbaijani official elected vice-president of international conference
12:45 01.07.2025
US approves $510M sale of munitions guidance kits to Israel
12:30 01.07.2025
Death toll in India factory blast rises to 34
12:25 01.07.2025
Azerbaijani ambassador leaves Russian Foreign Ministry building
12:15 01.07.2025
Iranian president to attend ECO summit in Azerbaijan's Khankandi
12:10 01.07.2025
Russia summons Azerbaijani ambassador
12:00 01.07.2025
Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides' emails
11:45 01.07.2025
Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip leave 95 Palestinians killed
11:30 01.07.2025
Israel shoots down over 1,000 Iranian drones — permanent representative to UN
11:15 01.07.2025
Hamısı