Slashdot Mirror
Facebook Sued Over App Center Data Sharing In Germany
An anonymous reader sends this quote from an IDG News report:
"German consumer organizations are suing Facebook because the social network keeps sharing personal data with third-party app makers without getting explicit consent from users. Third party apps often want access to a users' chat as well as information about friends, personal contact information and the ability to post on a user's Facebook wall. But instead of asking users for permission, the apps available through Facebook's App Center just grant themselves access to the data, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV), said on Thursday. ... In the past, Facebook asked for user consent by showing a pop-up window that warned data was shared with third-parties, and a user had the choice to click on allow or not allow. But when the App Center was introduced that changed, said Michaela Zinke, policy officer at the VZBV. 'I'm very confused why Facebook changed it,' she said, adding that before Facebook complied with German law and now doesn't anymore."
protector of the world?
It's the only way to be sure, oh wait that's nuking from space. Well you get the idea.
Yet another reason to stay the hell away from FB. Far, far away...
At this rate, soon we will be paying for the right to breathe. I'm just tired of companies that think they are above the law.
That Facebook is so brazenly whoring out their bitches (their users) to the johns (aka "third-party app makers"), or that so many users so willingly lay down and take it. I'm all for legalizing prostitution, so I am a bit torn, but the metaphor kinda breaks down when "the bitches" are unaware of what's being done to them.
the subject line that continue to the body annoy the hell out everyone else as well?
I wonder how many of the Facebook flames, that will inevitably make their way this discussion thread, are authored by people with Facebook accounts?
Like the German Beer Laws, you don't mess with them.
That is why my website host is in Germany. They tell the US what to do with their requests for data in the hope of finding something incriminating.
Oh, and they don't have a stipidlyu one sided extration treaty with the US. Actual evidence is needed rather than some hairbrained suspicion.
Re the German Beer Laws.
No Rice is allowed thus Bud as brewed in the US is not allowed to be sold to Germans only to US G.I's. Not that any self respecting German Beer drinker would be seen drinking that's gnats pee.
In the past, Facebook asked for user consent by showing a pop-up window that warned data was shared with third-parties, and a user had the choice to click on allow or not allow. But when the App Center was introduced that changed, said Michaela Zinke, policy officer at the VZBV. 'I'm very confused why Facebook changed it,' she said, adding that before Facebook complied with German law and now doesn't anymore."
They doubtless changed it because too many people were clicking on "NO".
We need more legislation regarding data sharing, not only do I want to be informed my data is shared, I need to know what's done with it.
"The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
Are chat/private messages between facebook users not private?
No one in their right mind would turn over free open access to all the information implied below.
Third party apps often want access to a users' chat as well as information about friends, personal contact information and the ability to [intrude in order to] post on a user's Facebook wall. But instead of asking users for permission, the apps available through Facebook's App Center just grant themselves access to the data, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV), said on Thursday. ... In the past, Facebook asked for user consent by showing a pop-up window that warned data was shared with third-parties, and a user had the choice to click on allow or not allow.
First of all, apps don't want anything, and the people/corporate (assholes) that desire access to your chat sessions, social contacts and associations should be legally precluded from even asking for it without FULL disclosure of who's collecting it, how it's distributed, what use they make of it, and how long it's retained, etc. (That's right, I want people to understand the nature of the players and their markets.) At very least.
Anything short of complete disclosure is a failure of the 'Free Market' to allow customers to exercise their duty to police the businesses that make up this sector of society. Adam Smith, in Wealth of Nations, identified the necessary components of a Free Market and defined open access to information about the workings of such an aggregated social entity. Corporate business interests have successfully subverted his model, through selective reinforcement, lobbying and outright deceit in order to promote their own unenlightened self interests above those of the common man.
An indispensable function of good government is providing regulatory balance for the interests of the individual citizen against the wealth of artificially incorporated businesses whose power is wielded and concentrated in a the hands of a very few individuals who can dominate the interests of the common man. The extreme version of such economic systems is referred to as Facism, and it's facilitated by the lack of balance seen in today's analytics 'markets' where their unobstructed access to personal information provides little, if any, return to those who unknowingly participate.
The user's information should not be free for the taking, and this is nearly the case today. The EU actually tries to provide some level of protection for their people, as opposed the U.S. which actively stifles most attempts at reasonable regulation.
excactly what you mean
I'm genuinely interested to know which areas you think the US is better in. As someone who lives in Europe, my perception is that neither the US government (any of its three branches) nor US big business has any interest at all in protecting the privacy of its own citizens, or pretty much any rights at all for anyone other than its own citizens.
This perception is based on a seemingly endless series of measures taken by those government arms (under whichever party/parties at the time) and businesses that seem to erode anything resembling individual rights in favour of the almighty state and/or corporate profit-making, regardless of any international standards, formal treaties, or in many cases even the obvious intent of the US Constitution.
I find the US to be a world leader in invading privacy. The sooner they stop exporting things like intrusive security theatre at airports and universal monitoring of citizens' communications to the rest of us, the better. (Of course, they only succeed in doing that because our own leaders are so spineless that they often accept it, citing nonsense like "special relationships" or the usual root keys to human rights law like terrorism or child abuse. I'm an equal opportunity government critic in this area, I just think the US often seems to cave to special interests first chronologically.)
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
Nothing at all, I can't stand it either.
""supporting germany in evrything they doing now and what they did befor!"
Hah, Facebooks response is right on the mark. They did not take away the informed consent. They moved where the permissions apps requested appeared from a popup interstitial to a list on the app page next to the install button. If German government has an issue with the CSS used by Facebook they're welcome to suggest an alternative, but I'd agree with Facebook that governments surely have better things to do than dictate to foreign web sites the exact font styles in use. Apparently the VBBZ doesn't - surely a good indication their budget needs to be reviewed.