In a somewhat unexpected twist, Facebook has won a legal battle against Belgium's data protection authority, which had sought to prevent Facebook from tracking non-Facebook (or not-logged-into-Facebook) users, both on the Facebook website itself but also via the company's Like and Share buttons that can be found in even the darkest depths of the known universe.
"Today's decision simply and purely means that the Belgian citizen cannot obtain the protection of his private life through the courts and tribunals when it concerns foreign actors," the CPP said in a statement. The CPP also said that it may launch an appeal to the Belgian Court of Cassation—the court of last resort—which in the past had overruled cases that involved foreign company jurisdiction.
Back in November 2015, a lower court ruled in favour of the CPP and ordered Facebook to quit tracking people who don't have a Facebook account or who aren't currently logged into the service. If Facebook didn't comply, it faced fines of up to €250,000 per day. Suffice it to say, the company complied: in December, Facebook said that it had stopped tracking Belgian visitors who were not logged in.
Facebook wins privacy case, can track any Belgian it wants | Ars Technica
"Today's decision simply and purely means that the Belgian citizen cannot obtain the protection of his private life through the courts and tribunals when it concerns foreign actors," the CPP said in a statement. The CPP also said that it may launch an appeal to the Belgian Court of Cassation—the court of last resort—which in the past had overruled cases that involved foreign company jurisdiction.
Back in November 2015, a lower court ruled in favour of the CPP and ordered Facebook to quit tracking people who don't have a Facebook account or who aren't currently logged into the service. If Facebook didn't comply, it faced fines of up to €250,000 per day. Suffice it to say, the company complied: in December, Facebook said that it had stopped tracking Belgian visitors who were not logged in.
Facebook wins privacy case, can track any Belgian it wants | Ars Technica
