Slashdot Mirror
EU Targets Facebook's Ad System
redletterdave writes "The European Commission plans to put a stop to the way Facebook gathers information about its users, including their political opinions, religious beliefs, whereabouts and sexual preferences, and how the social network sells that information for commercial purposes. A new EC Directive aims to ban targeted advertising unless users specifically allow it, and to amend the current European data protection laws to ensure consistency in how offending sites are dealt with across the EU. If the European Commission has its way, Facebook would suffer big losses in advertising dollars that fund its site, which would further damage the company's plans to go public next year. Facebook has defended itself, claiming its advertisers target wide demographics like age and location, rather than specific individuals. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company denies outright that it misuses or mishandles user information."
Those Europeans doesn't understand the right of an American company to do what they want wherever they want
Seems like real, sudden outbreak of common sense. Go EU!. I am moving to it next year.
It should be much cheaper to move there next year.
Is that hard?
It's not just Facebook, many other companies like Google do this. But although this regulation has good intentions, like all attempts at regulating the Internet it will be counterproductive and unenforceable. The Internet is based on anarchy, that's what made it big and drives it today. Securing their data is the duty of the users.
... steps are taken to ensure that Big Brother doesn't get too big.
While here in the US, those who most love to cite Orwell also tend to want there to be no limits to what corporations can do, even when it's the corporations (far more so than the government) that are filling the power niches.
Check your premises.
If they keep this up I might join you. The USA will probably make facebook accounts mandatory so the NSA can track us better.
Yes despite all the terrible press the EU gets especially in the UK, there are some nice things coming out of it like forcing mobile phone companies to all use mini-usb chargers. Sometimes I wish England would stop dicking about in EU and actually commit to something bigger than themselves for reasons other than personal greed.
Don't post stuff to facebook that you wouldn't want public.
I'm kidding, that's insane - who could possibly follow such a lunatic policy?
To understand facebook it might help to use google as an analogy.
Google is an advertising company that happens to provide services that inspire people to see the ads that they sell.
Facebook is a data mining company that happens to provide services that inspire people to provide the data that they sell.
They both offer advertisements, the both do data mining. In many ways the companies are very very similar. The biggest difference is the interface that is presented to the public. They both offer most of their services in exchange for what they need to sell to make a living.
If you don't want to pay the price than don't take the service they offer. Or, just click the buttons to avoid telling the world about the things you'd rather the whole world not know.
/not a facebook fan and thinks people waste way too much time on it
Only allow people to use their accounts if they agree to allow target advertisement... That would almost guarantee the majority will keep targeted advertisement over losing their accounts.
Anybody honestly believe such a law will have much effect on a site like facebook? This law would be more effective against sites where there isn't an incentive to keep an account. Of course, they could have a clause in the law that forbids such requiring permission to have an account but kinda doubt they thought of that.
You don't have a clue about the EC if you claim that. Stop reading the Daily Mail and start reading actual newspapers.
I dont click links here for obvious reasons.
To offset political mods, replace Flamebait with Insightful.
Adblock+ works perfectly well for facebook just like it does for most other sites. I suppose an opt-in system is better, but adblock covers pretty much all websites while this half measure covers only facebook.
The best way to avoid facebook getting your info:
DO NOT SIGN UP FOR FACEBOOK.
Yes, they have alternate ways of tracking you and getting your information- but if you don't sign up for facebook you get more spare time, and less privacy stolen.
If you already are a member- quit now before you give away some other facet of your life.
Honestly- we all know how evil they are by now- so why do people keep using them? Is it really worth giving away every piece of information of your life just to play crappy games (that most slashdotters could write a better version of in an evening).
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Seriously. If you aren't paying for it, you aren't the customer. You're the product being sold.
Facebook will simply solve this by presenting their users with an annoying popup that only goes away if you agree (opt-in) to the new EULA.
So there's not much significance to all of this.
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
According to your logic, we should get rid of the police, the justice and the military, because protecting yourself and punishing perpetrators is solely your responsibility.
Yeah, I was buying cell-batteries the other day and the retailer wanted me to enter a facebook user and password so it could automatically insert a facebook comment that I had purchased batteries from them.
I remember thinking - WhyTF would I do that? Who on earth would want to post mundane information about what they buy online? IRS would looove to get a hold of their facebook profile no doubt.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
You do realize the only reason the UK are doing fine today is because they took a lot of EU money a couple of years ago when they were in a crisis and the rest of Europe was not?
There are 27 countries. Not everyone can benefit from it at the same time. The EU exists to regularize things between member countries, so that they can balance each other out. Sometimes a country is at the bottom of the balance, sometimes at the top.
I'm not about to make a statement like GP did, mostly because I don't believe that the EU will collapse anytime soon, but I also am ignorant of its workings. So care to enlighten us?
All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
Which is great until countries start actively gaming the system, spending wildly because "of course we'll get bailed out". A bit less cycnically, it's easy for a political leader to give money to the people, and wait on austerity until it's externally imposed, at which point it's not the leader's fault, it's those evil EU baddies. Which could all still work unless most of the countries happen to need a bailout all at the same time, which is pretty much where we are today - it's doubtful there's enough strength left in the member countries that are doing well to help all the countries that need it.
It's just as messed up in the US of course: we'll keep spending like drunken sailors as long as we possibly can, avoiding any attempt at a graceful solution because that would require admitting we have a problem, and an addict just doesn't do that until he hits bottom.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
I've chosen Brazil...
I'm not sure that's an improvement.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Care to back up that claim with anything? The 'only reason' the UK is fine is because it took a lot of money from the EU? We didn't take a lot of money from the EU, we are massively net contributors every year.
The UK has never defaulted on its debts and considering we invented the concept of a 'National Debt' that is saying something. There is no way we would give up that record easily as it saves us a couple of points on our interest payments in perpetuity.
I think we may have renegotiated a couple of bilateral agreements with countries during the World Wars but we've never defaulted.
The Eu is a trap that is steadily making Europe less democratic. It's just effectively removed the elected Greek and Italian governments using the excuse that they cannot be trusted to do the right things.
It's simple. The EU is similar to the US Federal government. The member countries are subject to EU law where applicable, they have signed treaties to that effect.
If a member country does not apply the relevant law correctly, charges will be brought before the The Court of Justice of the European Union.
If the member state loses the case it will be subject to punitive measures until it corrects the situation. There is a lot to lose for the member country in question.