
The FCO concluded that this practice is neither justified under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) nor appropriate under competition law standards applicable to monopolists.
He gave Facebook four months to present a "concept" for compliance and a year to implement it.
If it fails, Facebook will have to change how it processes data internally for German users. Facebook has already announced that it will appeal the decision.
The landmark ruling also means that users who refuse permission for their data to be merged will not be shut out of Facebook services as a result.
The FCO considers the combining of Facebook data with "non-Facebook" data an exploitative abuse because users have to agree to what FCO President Andreas Mundt refers to as a "practically unrestricted collection" of non-Facebook data if they want to use the service.
Facebook said the German regulator had confused the company's "popularity" with the concept of being "dominant" in the market for the purposes of competition law.
Vinje said it would be tough for Facebook to persuade the court that the Cartel Office's definition of the market for social media, and its dominance, were misguided.
Twitter's ad revenues soar but its user growth issues loom large
All of that came alongside Twitter's announcement on Thursday that it's changing its user metrics in earnings releases. The company said costs grew primarily because of hiring and expenses related to video content and infrastructure.
The German regulator also noted that Google+ would be shutting down in April of 2019 and that Facebook's other competitors like Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter only offer "parts of the services" that Facebook does.
Facebook has an estimated 23 million daily active users in Germany, giving it a market share of 95%, according to the cartel office. While it has not given many details, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a conference call recently that the idea is to help users message people more easily, without having to navigate different platforms and lists. Ireland's data privacy regulator, which takes charge of European privacy probes involving Facebook, asked for an "urgent briefing" last month and said it will be "very closely scrutinizing Facebook's plans as they develop".
Facebook hit back at the ruling in a blog post, noting that collecting such data allows it to display better targeted ads to its users, as well as making it easier to identify fake and harmful accounts. In addition to inviting community group leaders to the summit, Facebook for the first time this year also invited leaders of local business and nonprofit groups.
The ruling will apply not just on Facebook, but across WhatsApp and Instagram - both of which are owned by the company, and will soon be integrated by Facebook to share messaging services. If Facebook does not comply with the FCO's decision and continues its practices, the FCO can impose penalty payments.
European regulators have always been concerned about Facebook's plans to deepen the integrating of WhatsApp. having previously fined Facebook 110 million euros for failing to tell them about the ability to combine the data when they examined the deal.
Vancouver-based online publication The Tyee reported on January 30 on Facebook's dealings with Royal Bank, prompting queries from parliamentarian Charlie Angus to Canada's privacy commissioner at the January 31 committee meeting in Ottawa.
'The only choice the user has is either to accept the comprehensive combination of data or to refrain from using the social network, ' it said in its judgment. Users must agree to the terms or be excluded from the social network, a hard situation that can not be considered voluntary consent, as required under the law. Facebook is becoming more and more indispensable for advertising customers.
Related News:
-
Backed Syria force announces final push against IS
It said the USA -led coalition struck positions of the IS in the eastern Euphrates to practice more pressure on the group. Nobody here wants to predict yet when that end will come, but ISIS as a territorial force has entered it's final days.Hockey fans everywhere are making fun of Edmonton Oilers after GM firing
Who in their right mind is going to hire him now? Chiarelli had the brilliant idea of signing Drake Caggiula out of North Dakota. The result was 11 losses in their first 20 games that led to the firing of McLellan and later a series of reactionary moves.NASA and SpaceX aim for March launch of Crew Dragon capsule
The space agency is hoping one or both of the crew capsules will be certified as safe to fly by the end of this year. SpaceX also completed a pad abort test in 2015. -
Vivo V15 Pro confirmed to feature 48 MP rear camera
The page has revealed that the V15 Pro will come with 32MP pop-up selfie camera and main rear camera has been of a 48MP sensor. The teaser video features Vivo's brand ambassador and Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan using the Vivo V15 Pro .Galaxy S10e Canary Yellow renders bring a ray of sunshine
As of now, there is no confirmation in regards to when Samsung will actually launch the third smartphone from its M series. Though there is still no word on a launch date, alleged specifications of the upcoming device have surfaced online.Sprint sues AT&T over fake 5G logo
Sprint said it is spending billions of dollars to roll out a "true" 5G network, starting in nine cities this year, including NY . AT&T offers standards-based 5G in parts of 12 cities, but its first 5G device for sale is a mobile hotspot rather than a phone. -
Pelicans trade Nikola Mirotic to Bucks
The fifth-year power forward is averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds over 32 games for the Pelicans. Maker has been beaten out by DJ Wilson this season and was firmly on the bench in Milwaukee .U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren enters 2020 presidential race
Warren did not address the potential for another distracting revelation when asked by reporters on Capitol Hill this week. Warren has two children from a marriage prior to her 1980 union with husband Bruce Mann, a Harvard law professor.Sarri hails 'great player' Higuain ahead of Man City clash
When it gets towards the finishing line that's when you need them most of all. Not really, but the view from outside is completely different. -
Prince Philip crash: auto crash victim speaks out after Royal surrenders licence
According to reports, the Duke of Edinburgh was subsequently offered " suitable words of advice " by a Norfolk police officer. The sun was blamed for hindering his vision and he wrote he was "very contrite about the consequences" of the collision.US officer at border crossing shoots driver going to Mexico
Mexican border officials surrounded the truck and discovered the driver was dead, and arrested a passenger. Illegal crossings in that area have dropped steeply in recent years.2018 the fourth-hottest year in history
The last five years-from 2014 to 2018-are the warmest years ever recorded in the 139 years that NOAA has tracked global heat. Global temperatures rose 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.83 degrees Celsius) than the mean of warming from 1951 to 1980.