Germany's antitrust watchdog has concluded its long-running dispute with Meta after the company implemented new data measures enhancing user control over personal information on its platforms.
In 2019, the Federal Cartel Office ordered Meta, then known as Facebook, to stop merging user data collected through its subsidiaries and other websites unless explicit consent was provided by users.
Meta initially lodged legal complaints against the decision but faced setbacks in both German and EU courts. To address the concerns, the company moved to implement new measures.
These measures include the introduction of an 'Accounts Center,' allowing users to keep data from Meta's different social networks, such as Facebook and Instagram, separate. Additionally, Meta has implemented cookie settings to segregate Facebook data from other data, displayed prominent consent notifications when accessing Facebook, and limited data storage to security purposes for a predefined period.
'Users now have much greater control over how their data are combined,' stated Andreas Mundt, president of the Federal Cartel Office.
With these measures deemed 'sufficiently effective,' the cartel office has closed the case, noting that Meta has also withdrawn its pending appeal before a German court. The closure comes as the Federal Cartel Office, empowered by the 2021 German Competition Act, continues to scrutinize major tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Alphabet.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
