Germany: Facebook privacy probe findings by year’s end

On Friday, September 8, Federal Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt said Germany’s investigation of US social network company Facebook over possible market abuse will be announced by the end of the year.

The investigation which started last March, was triggered by concerns that users were not properly informed about how Facebook used personal data. The competition regulator is concerned that this could violate Germany’s data protection laws.

Facebook is a free website that generates revenues from advertising based on data from its users’ social connections, opinions and activities. They have said that their company complies with the law.

“I think we will present first results of this case before the end of this year,” Mundt told a conference organized by the International Bar Association.

Companies can be fined up to 10% of their annual turnover by the German competition regulator if found guilty of abusing a dominant market position, though it has never imposed the maximum penalty.

Full Content: New York Times

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.