5 ms·

That only applies to Europe. The question is whether the data is valuable enough to Facebook to spend the time to add `if (europe)` to their code.

sleepychu 9y ago
Or indeed care about the law enough to bother before they're fined for doing it. After all you'll need to prove they didn't delete the data first!
- contingencies 9y ago
  Someone in Europe should make a privacy complaint just to keep them on their toes.
  - jacobush 9y ago
    You mean to step on their toes.
- geocar 9y ago
  The GDPR penalties can reach 4% global (i.e. sum all related companies) annual turnover per infraction. If anyone ever found out Facebook had a widespread violation, Facebook would be likely be dissolved.
  - FridgeSeal 9y ago
    Oh boy would I be thrilled if that happens. Nothing of value will really be lost, replacements would spring up super quickly and I'd like to think that we would have learned enough about the downsides of the current social-network systems for the next generation to avoid the pitfalls and hopefully make something much better.
  - Clubber 9y ago
    I wish US corporate laws had teeth, it's only the criminal ones that apply to every day citizens that do.
  - blackbagboys 9y ago
    Are there any instances of otherwise financially sound major global corporations being dissolved as a result of EU fines / regulatory action? I suspect if the rubber hits the road in this situation, FB would prevail.
    - jimnotgym 9y ago
      Not dissolved, but the EU have shown themselves to be willing to tackle the tech behemoths, as Google recently found with their EUR2.4Bn fine https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/27/google-braces-for-record-breaking-1bn-fine-from-eu https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/27/google-brac...
  - goialoq 9y ago
    That's insane. What's a "single" infraction? It doesn't distinguish between revenue and profit? 4% of global revenue could be more than the total of all profit and salaries.
    - alasdair_ 9y ago
      "Profit" can be kept at zero essentially forever. Revenue is much harder to hide.
    - kuschku 9y ago
      > 4% of global revenue could be more than the total of all profit and salaries. That’s the point. Google recently came of comparatively well with a 4 billion EUR fine, but 2 more fines of the same height for Google are expected. The only way to force a company to follow a law is to make infringing the law more expensive than any profit you could ever dream of making from it.
    - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
      Then they better do their best not to infringe the privacy rights of EU citizens then, eh?
      - geocar 9y ago
        Yes. And European courts consider intent carefully. Mere aggregation of personal data isn’t necessarily a violation, but using it commercially almost certainly is.
    - geocar 9y ago
      > What's a "single" infraction? There are lots of things that constitute an infraction: the GDPR aims to broadly protect EU citizen rights. Some infractions can be per individual harmed.
geocar 9y ago
It applies to Europeans, even if they're not in Europe, and even if they don't identify themselves as being in Europe.
- unicornporn 9y ago
  To correct your correction I'd like to add that far from every European country is a member of the EU.
  - freedrock87 9y ago
    He is saying that that law applies to EU citizens even when they are not located in the EU. Much more difficult then determining which country the user is connecting from. Not sure if this is the law though
    - jimnotgym 9y ago
      And UK citizens, even if Brexit happens.
- jstanley 9y ago
  How exactly does the EU propose to apply its laws to people dealing with Europeans outside the EU? Being European doesn't automatically subject everyone you interact with to EU laws, especially while you're outside the EU.
  - kuschku 9y ago
    > How exactly does the EU propose to apply its laws to people dealing with Europeans outside the EU? The EU can seize hard- and software of Facebook on their EU servers, the EU can seize Facebooks cash holdings in Ireland, the EU can seize (and sell off) Facebook’s patents held in the EU. Stuff like this has happened before, and european governments have previously even seized airplanes from airlines right after landing to pay customers for a refund for a flight that the airline refused to pay. This can, and absolutely will happen.
  - 9y ago

sleepychu 9y ago

Or indeed care about the law enough to bother before they're fined for doing it. After all you'll need to prove they didn't delete the data first!

contingencies 9y ago
Someone in Europe should make a privacy complaint just to keep them on their toes.
- jacobush 9y ago
  You mean to step on their toes.
geocar 9y ago
The GDPR penalties can reach 4% global (i.e. sum all related companies) annual turnover per infraction. If anyone ever found out Facebook had a widespread violation, Facebook would be likely be dissolved.
- FridgeSeal 9y ago
  Oh boy would I be thrilled if that happens. Nothing of value will really be lost, replacements would spring up super quickly and I'd like to think that we would have learned enough about the downsides of the current social-network systems for the next generation to avoid the pitfalls and hopefully make something much better.
- Clubber 9y ago
  I wish US corporate laws had teeth, it's only the criminal ones that apply to every day citizens that do.
- blackbagboys 9y ago
  Are there any instances of otherwise financially sound major global corporations being dissolved as a result of EU fines / regulatory action? I suspect if the rubber hits the road in this situation, FB would prevail.
  - jimnotgym 9y ago
    Not dissolved, but the EU have shown themselves to be willing to tackle the tech behemoths, as Google recently found with their EUR2.4Bn fine https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/27/google-braces-for-record-breaking-1bn-fine-from-eu https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/27/google-brac...
- goialoq 9y ago
  That's insane. What's a "single" infraction? It doesn't distinguish between revenue and profit? 4% of global revenue could be more than the total of all profit and salaries.
  - alasdair_ 9y ago
    "Profit" can be kept at zero essentially forever. Revenue is much harder to hide.
  - kuschku 9y ago
    > 4% of global revenue could be more than the total of all profit and salaries. That’s the point. Google recently came of comparatively well with a 4 billion EUR fine, but 2 more fines of the same height for Google are expected. The only way to force a company to follow a law is to make infringing the law more expensive than any profit you could ever dream of making from it.
  - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
    Then they better do their best not to infringe the privacy rights of EU citizens then, eh?
    - geocar 9y ago
      Yes. And European courts consider intent carefully. Mere aggregation of personal data isn’t necessarily a violation, but using it commercially almost certainly is.
  - geocar 9y ago
    > What's a "single" infraction? There are lots of things that constitute an infraction: the GDPR aims to broadly protect EU citizen rights. Some infractions can be per individual harmed.

geocar 9y ago

It applies to Europeans, even if they're not in Europe, and even if they don't identify themselves as being in Europe.

unicornporn 9y ago
To correct your correction I'd like to add that far from every European country is a member of the EU.
- freedrock87 9y ago
  He is saying that that law applies to EU citizens even when they are not located in the EU. Much more difficult then determining which country the user is connecting from. Not sure if this is the law though
  - jimnotgym 9y ago
    And UK citizens, even if Brexit happens.
jstanley 9y ago
How exactly does the EU propose to apply its laws to people dealing with Europeans outside the EU? Being European doesn't automatically subject everyone you interact with to EU laws, especially while you're outside the EU.
- kuschku 9y ago
  > How exactly does the EU propose to apply its laws to people dealing with Europeans outside the EU? The EU can seize hard- and software of Facebook on their EU servers, the EU can seize Facebooks cash holdings in Ireland, the EU can seize (and sell off) Facebook’s patents held in the EU. Stuff like this has happened before, and european governments have previously even seized airplanes from airlines right after landing to pay customers for a refund for a flight that the airline refused to pay. This can, and absolutely will happen.
- 9y ago