German court orders Facebook to rein in data collection

KARLSRUHE, Germany: A top German court on Tuesday ordered Facebook to stop merging data collected through its Whatsapp and Instagram subsidiaries or other websites unless users explicitly agree, in a legal victory for competition authorities. Germany's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) had told Facebook to rein in the data collecting in a landmark decision in 2019, but the social media giant appealed the order. In a fast-track proceeding on Tuesday, Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) sided with the FCO watchdog in finding that Facebook was abusing its dominant position to force users to consent to all their data being collected. "Facebook does not allow for any choice," presiding judge Peter Meier-Beck said in the Karlsruhe courtroom. The Silicon Valley company will have to comply with the order while its appeal is ongoing in a lower court. It is a major setback for the social media...