Page 24 - aruba-today-20190209

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 9 February 2019

Germany to Facebook: Stop forcing users to share their data

By DAVID RISING and BAR- user data is collected and
BARA ORTUTAY used,” Vernick said.
Associated Press There are also worries that
BERLIN (AP) — Facebook Facebook could build
is pushing back against a deeper profiles, such as
German ruling that could by linking phone numbers
make it harder for the com- to real-life identities, he
pany to combine data added. Facebook doesn’t
from all the services it runs require users to add their
in order to target ads even phone number, but What-
more precisely. sApp is generally used with
Thursday’s ruling, though phone numbers. Between
aimed at current practices, the two, Facebook gets
hints at potential troubles more data.
ahead if Facebook fol- In ruling that Facebook was
lows through with plans to a “dominant company,”
integrate the messaging the Cartel Office said it was
functions of WhatsApp, In- subject to “special obliga-
stagram and Messenger as tions under competition
early as next year. law” and “must take into
German antitrust authori- account that Facebook
ties ruled Thursday that users practically cannot
Facebook was exploiting switch to other social net-
its dominance in social me- In this Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 file photo the icons of Facebook and WhatsApp are pictured on an works.”
dia to force users to share iPhone in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. “The only choice the user
data from other Facebook- Associated Press has is either to accept the
owned services like What- person an ad on Facebook. threat of antitrust crack- Google’s. Users are more comprehensive combina-
sApp and Instagram, as Facebook also has been downs. Essentially, if Face- likely to stay within Face- tion of data or to refrain
well as third-party websites moving to further integrate book combines its messag- book’s properties if they from using the social net-
through the “Like” and WhatsApp and Instagram ing services so that they can easily message their work,” it said in its judg-
“Share” buttons. into its main service after are different in name and friends across different ser- ment. “In such a difficult
The Federal Cartel Office, initially promising to keep design only, it will be much vices, rather than having situation the user’s choice
or Bundeskartellamt, isn’t both as stand-alone com- more difficult, if not impos- to switch between Mes- cannot be referred to as
contesting Facebook’s use panies when it bought sible, to then separate out senger, WhatsApp and In- voluntary consent.”
of customer data to target them. and spin off Instagram and stagram. Privacy attorney The office said many users
ads on the main Facebook Although Facebook hasn’t WhatsApp as separate Scott Vernick said he ex- were not aware that Face-
service. Rather, the ruling given many details on its companies. pects the integration plans book is able to “collect an
said Facebook should have plans to integrate messag- Combining the three ser- to draw regulatory scrutiny, almost unlimited amount of
to get permission separate- ing, CEO Mark Zuckerberg vices also lets Facebook particularly in Europe. That’s any type of user data from
ly before using customer said recently that the idea build more complete data because of Facebook’s third-party sources.”
data from other apps and is to help users message profiles on all of its users. promises that it would keep Facebook said German
websites to do so. one another more eas- Already, businesses can the companies separate authorities underestimated
The company currently col- ily, without having to worry already target Facebook when it bought Instagram the competition Facebook
lects data on users’ activi- about who’s on which ser- and Instagram users to- in 2012 and WhatsApp in has in Germany from You-
ties on Facebook and the vice. The company also gether with the same ad 2014. WhatsApp’s found- Tube, Snapchat, Twitter
other apps it owns, along said it would encrypt all the campaign, and ads are ers quit the company over and others. The company
with third-party websites. messaging services, some- likely coming to WhatsApp disagreements about user said it had been cooperat-
So, what someone views, thing it does by default only eventually. privacy. ing with the Cartel Office
likes or shares on Instagram with WhatsApp. Then there’s competition “There is a high chance since 2016 and would “de-
— or the broader web — But critics have raised an- from other messaging ser- for antitrust concerns, as fend these important argu-
could be used to show that other possible reason — the vices, such as Apple’s or well as those over how ments in court.” q
Instagram changes rules on

self-harm postings after suicide

LONDON (AP) — Instagram tent rules. He said: “We are scale, and working with ex-
has agreed to ban graphic not where we need to be perts and the wider indus-
images of self-harm after on self-harm and suicide, try to find ways to support
objections were raised in and we need to do more people when they’re most
Britain following the suicide to protect the most vulner- in need.”
of a teen whose father said able in our community.” The call for changes was
the photo-sharing platform Mosseri said further chang- backed by the British gov-
had contributed to her de- es will be made. ernment after the family
cision to take her own life. “I have a responsibility to of 14-year-old Molly Russell
Instagram chief Adam Mos- get this right,” he said. “We found material related to
seri said Thursday evening will get better and we are depression and suicide on
In this Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 file photo, the Instagram app
logo is displayed on a mobile screen in Los Angeles. the platform is making a committed to finding and her Instagram account af-
Associated Press series of changes to its con- removing this content at ter her death in 2017.q