On November 9, Belgian authorities gave internet giant Facebook 48 hours to stop tracking internet users that do not have accounts on its social media platform. Should the US company not comply, it faces fines of up to €250,000 per day.
For five years Facebook has been tracking Belgian residents using a cookie called ‘datr’, which identifies a person who visits the website, either to view the profile of an individual or an organisation, but does not have an account themselves. The cookie then remained on the computer or mobile device for two years and enabled recommendations to be made based on viewing history that would be linked to Facebook.
Should the US company not comply, it faces fines of up to €250,000 per day
The Belgian Privacy Commission first took the internet behemoth to court in June for failing to comply with local privacy laws and its “disrespectful” treatment of the personal data of individuals without their consent.
“If a surfer doesn’t have an own Facebook account, Facebook from now on will have to explicitly solicit consent and provide the needed explanations,” the Brussels court said following the ruling, according to Bloomberg.
While the EU member states continue to coordinate an investigation into Facebook’s new policy for data handling, Facebook has hit back to say that it should only be liable to Irish privacy laws as its European headquarters is based in Dublin.
The decision is another setback for Facebook on European shores following a ruling in October, which declared that the company could no longer transfer personal information over to the US, as it was not properly protected.