Brussels, 10/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - After coming under scrutiny from Commissioner Viviane Reding, American social networking site Facebook is now in the European Parliament's sights. MEP Françoise Castex (S&D, France) has put down a written question for the European Commission asking about Facebook's compliance with European data protection laws.
Castex, who is the rapporteur on the forthcoming review of the 1995 data protection directive, is concerned that “Facebook retains users' data long term, without these users being able to give their explicit consent to use being made of their data, contrary to the provisions of the European data protection directive”.
In her written question, Castex asks the Commission how it intends to improve protection for social network users and ensure compliance with EU law in this area.
She says in a press release: “Keeping control over one's own personal data should be a fundamental right for every European citizen. Facebook users, however, are not properly informed of the data collected, what is to be done with the data gathered, risks and possible recourse. It has to be said that the right to erasure of data is far from effective!”
This is a concern that Commissioner Reding shares. Speaking along with German Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner on Monday 7 November, Reding made it clear that all foreign companies providing services for European consumers would have to abide by European rules. That includes the right to erasure of data (or the “right to be forgotten”), the right to have one's consent sought for the use of one's data and the right to have them corrected if they are incorrect. The revision proposals, expected at the end of January 2012, will tighten up on all these points, including the consent of the internet user, which is already contained in the 1995 text, but little observed. (SP/transl.rt)