• MarTech Today
  • Sections
    • Ads
    • Marketing
    • Content
    • Sales
    • Analytics
    • Management
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Follow Us
    • Follow
  • MarTech Today
  • Ads
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Mgmt
  • Resources
  • More
  • Events
    • Follow
  • SUBSCRIBE

MarTech Today

MarTech Today
  • Ads
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Management
  • Resources
  • More
  • Events
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Martech: Social

Facebook To Fight Belgian Court Mandate To Stop Tracking Browsing Behavior

Like Google, Facebook is under fire in Europe from privacy regulators. Today, the company said it would appeal a decision by a court in Belgium that ordered Facebook to stop collecting data on users’ browsing behavior when they’re not logged in to the site. The lawsuit was filed earlier this year by the Belgian privacy […]

Greg Sterling on November 9, 2015 at 5:46 pm
  • More
facebook-ad-crosshair2-ss-1920

Like Google, Facebook is under fire in Europe from privacy regulators. Today, the company said it would appeal a decision by a court in Belgium that ordered Facebook to stop collecting data on users’ browsing behavior when they’re not logged in to the site.

The lawsuit was filed earlier this year by the Belgian privacy authority. It arises in the broader context of Belgian complaints about Facebook privacy practices more generally. According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook faces immediate fines and must stop all monitoring of non-logged-in user behavior within 48 hours:

Local media reported Monday evening that a Brussels commercial court had ruled that Facebook must stop within 48 hours the collection of data on users’ Internet browsing when they are not logged in. If they didn’t stop, then Facebook would face a daily fine of €250,000 ($269,000), the reports said.

Facebook said it would appeal the decision in a statement provided to the WSJ: “We’ve used the data cookie for more than five years to keep Facebook secure for 1.5 billion people around the world. We will appeal this decision and are working to minimize any disruption to people’s access to Facebook in Belgium.”

Controversy surrounding Facebook user tracking and privacy practices has existed for some time both in the US and Europe, although there’s little government investigative or regulatory action in the US. In response to a growing number of European complaints and investigations, Facebook signaled, like Google, it was taking a more defiant stance toward European regulators.

According to the WSJ article, Facebook argues that its browsing behavior tracking is necessary for security reasons. If the company can successfully make that argument — it’s not about mining user data and ad targeting but fending off bots, spam and malware — the company has a chance to succeed on appeal.

It’s probably a slim chance, however.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech Today. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Channel: Martech: SocialSocial Media Marketing

Subscribe to receive daily martech news and expert insights. See terms.


We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Omnichannel Marketing using Marketing Automation
  • The Top Five Objections That Hold Companies Back From Doing SEO
  • How To Optimize SEO With UGC
  • Email Tune-Up: A 5-Point Inspection to Get Your Program in Gear
  • Digital Marketing Report Q4 2020: Benchmarks and Insights for 2021
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • The Secret Behind SEO Success: Predict Rank with the Power of Data Science
  • How to Avoid the Digital Transformation Trap
  • How to Build a Marketing System of Record
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Receive daily martech news and analysis.
Martech Today
Download the Martech Today app on iTunes
Download the Martech Today App on Google Play

Channels

  • Advertising
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Social
  • Commerce
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Management
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • SMX

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • MarTech Conference

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Connect With Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • iOS App
  • Google Play

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok