France accuses Facebook of data privacy violations
February 9, 2016
Privacy agency CNIL and competition agency DGCCRF said separately this week that Facebook must change the way it collects users' data.
According to the two government-affiliated agencies, the California-based tech company has been tracking and using data in breach of French law. Facebook has even been collecting the data of non-users who visit a public page on the website.
CNIL also accused the company of illegally collecting people's personal information - such as religious beliefs and sexual orientation - without their consent.
Ongoing hurdles abroad
The privacy agency warned it would impose fines on the company within three months if it didn't change its method of data collection. Those fines could amount to as much as 150,000 euros ($170,000).
"The protection of privancy is a priority for Facebook," the company responded in a statement, according to German news agency DPA. "We are confident that our service is in conformity with European data protection laws."
The accusations come the same week Indian regulators blocked a bare-bones version of Facebook designed to give Internet access to millions of impoverished people. The company's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has expressed his disappointment with the decision.
blc/bw (dpa, AP)