Facebook 'Like' Button Declared Illegal In Germany

BERLIN (Associated Press)-- A German data protection authority is "unliking" Facebook's "Like" button.

The state of Schleswig-Holstein's data protection commissioner, Thilo Weichert, on Friday ordered state institutions to shut down the fan pages on the social networking site and remove the "Like" button from their websites, saying it leads to profiling that violates German and European law.

Facebook insisted Friday that is in full compliance with European data protection laws.

On Friday, Weichert issued a statement saying technical analysis by his office shows Facebook violated German and European data protection laws by passing content data to the social network's servers in the U.S.

"Whoever visits facebook.com or uses a plug-in must expect that he or she will be tracked by the company for two years," Weichert said. "Facebook builds a broad individual and for members even a personalized profile."

A Facebook spokesman conceded that the company can see "information such as the IP address" of users who visit a site with a "Like" button.

"We delete this technical data within 90 days," said the spokesman, who did not give his name in keeping with company policy. "That is in keeping with normal industry standards."

Weichert's office ordered website owners in Schleswig-Holstein to "immediately stop the passing on of user data to Facebook in the USA by deactivating the respective services" and threatened to take legal action if they fail to comply.

He also urged Internet users in general to "keep their fingers from clicking on social plug-ins" and "not set up a Facebook account" to avoid being profiled.

The keepers of Germany's strict privacy laws have repeatedly clashed on issues of privacy with international Internet giants, such as Facebook and Google – often with success.

Last year Google allowed Germans who opposed its Street View mapping system to blur images of their homes, while Facebook in January granted members more control over their email address books, after a dispute over its "Friend Finder" service.

Germany's latest spat with the Palo Alto, California-based Facebook also comes a week after a leading member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party in Schleswig-Holstein stepped down after admitting to having an affair with a 16-year-old he met over the social networking site.

Christian von Boetticher's resignation sparked a debate about the role of social media in politicians' lives, with German newspapers carrying reports from party members, angry that the state legislator spent more time posting personal information to Facebook than focusing on his job. He has since deleted his Facebook profile.

Comments

[J0E1]

04:30 PM on 08/22/2011

Germany either hasn't realized the spying potential of facebook on it's citizens or facebook isn't being cooperative.

[n506]

05:29 AM on 08/22/2011

Because they aren't free to express their opinions like we are in the United States.

[theroundearth]

07:32 AM on 08/22/2011

You got it right... in your fairy tale world.

[G D]

12:51 AM on 08/23/2011

Being allowed to express your opinions isn't a given in the United States anymore.

[Steelsil]

08:04 PM on 08/21/2011

Register with a fake name and address, or change your name and address, if you must use Facebook.  I, myself, am a prominent American Forefather living in Alaska - on Facebook.

[Vik1ng]

03:54 PM on 08/21/2011

After reading several comments here I realized that the problem is that this article is missing the point.

The Problem with the 'like' button is that it always sends Facebook US data once it loads on a website.
You don't have to have a Facebook account and you don't have to 'like' something in order for this to happen. And that is the point where it becomes illegal as German law clearly states that YOU have to ACTIVELY give the permission to the website to give this data to others and this happens at no point.

[Anna2005]

05:27 PM on 08/21/2011

Okay, I get the problem with it now and I agree that it shouldn't be doing that. I still don't get HOW the like button does it. So FB has data from my 85 year old grandfather who has never been on FB before in his life and has never "liked" anything? That is f'n creepy!

[Vik1ng]

05:45 PM on 08/21/2011

Yes they have data form him, more exactly some kind of browsing history and not his name for example. The Facebook like button is just a plugin(don't know if that's the correct name), so the website just has a script integrated, but it always loads this from from Facebook.com (including the like buttons) and that's how Facebook knows about every website visit.

Here you can for example see how the google +1 buttons works http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2011/07/updated-code-for-google-1-buttons.html

[Anna2005]

05:30 PM on 08/21/2011

Just read your response to my other comment, so no need to explain again. :) Thanks!

[TedEjr]

12:33 PM on 08/21/2011

Too bad the entire world in general doesn't listen to the advice from Germany.

From the article---He also urged Internet users in general to "keep their fingers from clicking on social plug-ins" and "not set up a Facebook account" to avoid being profiled. (END)

Sadly, too many people are unaware that once they select those apps, they are divulging all of their personal info.

I admit to having a Facebook account. However, I use it like, once every couple of weeks, maybe read what my "Friends" have posted, MAYBE post some photos, and that is about it. I NEVER agree to any app.

Republicans rail over governmental invasion and intrusion into our private lives. Facebook makes their fear look like the proverbial fear of the dark in comparison.

[FLECKENSTEIN44]

03:51 PM on 08/29/2011

Facebooks not the government.

[jaichbin2000]

12:19 PM on 08/21/2011

They could have saved a lot time and just outlawed Facebook all together. How many millions of hours a day are wasted by posting every little matter in one's narcissistic, booring life? We are not that interesting. We put every intimate detail of our mundane lives out there for whole world to see and then act all shocked when there are privacy and stalking issues.

And furthermore, all this social networking with the younger generation is going to somehow come back to haunt them (and us if we're still alive). No child can ride in a car anymore without watching a DVD. What happened to looking out the window and daydreaming. Instead of being able to form well thought out ideas, debates and communication and sharing of important information, all they are cappable of is texting a tweeting factoids, and observations from brief limited viewpoints.

Now, we invented all this thechnology or at the very least bought it to provide more $$ for advancement. And instantaneous, global information sharing is miraculous. However, putting any thought or time into what you're going to say is becoming a thing of the past. And what about being alone with your own thoughts and not being constantly bombarded by others thoughts and opinions. This is where imagination is developed. And imagination is key to creativity and the advancement of the human race.

I think this is George Carlin, "Whatever happened to a kid in the front yard playing with stick?"

[cabrobst]

08:55 AM on 08/21/2011

"Whoever visits facebook.com or uses a plug-in must expect that he or she will be tracked by the company for two years," Weichert said.
I don't want to be tracked or spied upon.
US should adopt German privacy laws.

[Anna2005]

12:35 PM on 08/21/2011

The don't join fb. Or move to Germany.

[LaoShur]

12:52 AM on 08/21/2011

America is NOT a nation whose government is FOR the people. Our government is for the corporations. That is why CEO's in America gets paid FAR more than their counterparts in the EU while the average worker gets paid far less. The biggest problem in America is politicians pandering to the lowest common denominator, such as fundamentalist religious dogma to garner votes. Those religious zealots are afflicted with group think and block vote the way they are told.

[ChicagoKev]

02:17 AM on 08/21/2011

Totally Agree!! "The biggest problem in America is politician­s pandering to the lowest common denominato­r, such as fundamenta­list religious dogma to garner votes" Democrat successes in 2006 & 2008 were so strong people were talking about the death of the Republican party. All those group thinking religious zealots on the Democrat side actually made this country a one party government for two whole years!!

[Jason Barsky]

12:02 AM on 08/21/2011

If I was in Germany, I'd create a Facebook page called "I agree that the LIKE button should be illegal". That way, if people liked the page and the message, they would be torn as to what to do.

[ResearchtheFacts]

09:02 PM on 08/20/2011

Finally someone gets it and the trickle down affect begins. They keep the info because they can add it to the number count even if those people close their accounts. Watch the number count not go down but up by FaceBook's own PR.

[cerebrogasm]

06:01 PM on 08/20/2011

Germans are far more attuned to the dangers of data-mining (given their history) - I applaud them on this recognition of what Facebook is mutating into: Big Brother. Closing on 1/3rd or the planet's population, FB's data-mining, soon to be enhanced with facial recognition technology, will further allow FB to peer into every aspect of your life - don't fall for the idea that this is just "social media" where you exchange photos and post innocuous comments on your "friends" FB walls. There are entire sciences, such as psychometrics and biometrics that can deduce an amazing amount of information about you with very little input - it can easily become a kind of identity theft - or worse.

[netzwerg]

04:57 PM on 08/20/2011

"Germans take their security seriously! I traveled there on business recently, and was surprised that I was not allowed to take any photograph­s of the amazing building I was working in, for fear that an employee may be captured on film. Interestin­g. "

Real reason is fear of industrial espionage. I work in German wind industry, in my company we are not allowed to bring in cell phones with cameras for that reason. No cameras, camera phones, especially for visitors from foreign companies or countries. ;)

[netzwerg]

05:10 PM on 08/20/2011

We are even given Blackberry's where the camera has been removed. Lot's of companies are handling it this way nowadays, also in the US.

[Andy Wulf]

04:00 PM on 08/20/2011

There's a fine line between "legitimate privacy concerns" and "privacy fetishism". My credit card number, social security number, bank account information etc. are private, and that's why I don't share them on Facebook. But if a person is neurotically obsessed with his own privacy to this level, he should NOT START A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. There's no law that says everyone must have a Facebook account, and in fact, implicit in the decision to sign up for Facebook is the decision to share things about oneself.

It's not exactly a secret that Facebook tracks people's information. So do most websites. For chrissakes I make no secret of the fact that I'm a Marxist, and I'm sure I've been tracked six ways from Sunday by Facebook. And no FBI agents have come banging on my door yet, so I'm fine with that. It wouldn't be on the Internet if I particularly cared whether people knew it.

All I can say is this has got to be a product of the reality-TV mentality. The one that figures that if everyone's an American Idol, if everyone's a Survivor, then the flipside is everyone might be a target of some vague, ill-defined nefarious entity that wants to know their IP address for some reason. Reality check: no one gives a crap.

[cabrobst]

08:59 AM on 08/21/2011

I use Google and Twitter but I don't trust Facebook.

[Anna2005]

11:56 AM on 08/21/2011

Agreed! As long as the info fb keeps isn't being used for anything more nefarious than target advertisting then I'm okay with it. The credit card companies keeping track of where I shop and then using that info to determine whether or not I'm a good credit risk, regardless of my income or credit history, is much worse than FB using the fact that I "liked" Obama 2012 to tell me I should also "like" the Democratic Party.

At the risk of sounding like a tea party nut, the heavy handedness of the government thinking it is in a better position to determine what we should or should not share about our own lives is much scarier to me. Not to mention the free speech implications this would have in the U.S. Germany has a history of suppressing free speech (for the love of God, it's illegal to flip somebody off there!) and that is certainly not something we want to admire or emulate.

[huevos07]

03:37 PM on 08/20/2011

Damn Socialist country affording it's citizens an excellent standard of living by doing almost the direct opposite of what the GOP proposes we do for America. And doing the things we do better.

Germany doesn't regard it's citizens as lazy bums looking for a hand out. Cons say a welfare state creates dependency and laziness.Ya, Germans are renowned for their laziness. Cons say social programs are unsustainable, yet Germany is in much better economic shape. Cons say high taxes kill jobs, yet Germany's unemployment rate is around 6 percent. Cons say environmental regulations kill jobs, see previous citation. The above can be said for many European progressive nations that aren't afraid to try new directives and policies that actually aim to better it's average citizens life, while still allowing individual freedoms and the ability to work hard and make money.

[MrThompsonDCMS]

04:14 PM on 08/20/2011

As it was described to me by three German friends, "we just feel more confident that our government will protect us from the bad times that are soon coming."

I can't say I've ever heard an American say anything like that in my entire life. Of course, I'm not sure I really want my government to have that power either. Maybe it's my stubborn libertarian streak.

[huevos07]

05:08 PM on 08/20/2011

Ya, knowing your government has your back sounds pretty Draconian.

Government just shouldn't give a crap about it's citizens. Big business on the other hand should have it's profits protected from taxes, employees, and customers.

[Anna2005]

12:04 PM on 08/21/2011

I draw the line at government interference with my thoughts and personal preferences, including what I DECIDE, as an individual, to share with FB or anybody else for that matter. As long as FB, or any other similar entity, is open and honest about what they do with our info (not saying I trust them, though), then it is OUR CHOICE to participate or not participate.

Now, if the government wants to protect my health, my wallet or my safety, then yes, I'm all for that. Just allow me the right to continue to b*tching about the fact that they aren't doing it well enough and to express that in any way I want, including creating and/or "liking" a fb page dedicated to those beliefs.

[realorpretend]

07:32 PM on 08/20/2011

You can't compare a country such as Germany to the United States because the Germans are a largely homogenous culture.

[doinaheckuvanutjob]

08:40 PM on 08/20/2011

Your Republican Talking Point has no correlation to the data. Their so called homogeny has never been factually proven to be the factor in how their system seems to run better than ours. Of course it's a very CONVENIENT talking point to derail and distract the conversation AWAY from the effectiveness of German policies.

[Lulo]

10:43 PM on 08/20/2011

That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard and it only shows how out of touch most Americans are with the world beyond their borders,.

[sb1285n]

03:25 PM on 08/20/2011

What does every article involving two countries always have to turn into a fight.

American, European we're all the same - a bunch of ignorant d**ks. So incredibly sad...

[Waterlooboy]

03:46 PM on 08/20/2011

Except that every place in the world is so much more so. That's why we call us first world and everyone else second, third, or worse (e.g., 90 percent of Africa).

[theroundearth]

04:42 PM on 08/21/2011

The term Third World was chosen to designate the countries that, during the "cold war", were either in the NATO nor belonged to the Communist block. Thus, not every third world country was actually a "developing" country.
The course of history has changed the world, and the term "third world" has remained but it was never meant as a kind of ranking.

[ChicagoKev]

02:27 AM on 08/21/2011

F/F!