Germany: Facebook succeeds in blocking German ban on data collection

Facebook won an appeal to a German antitrust edict regarding how it collects user data across its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp, an initial victory for the social-media giant as it faces wide regulatory scrutiny in Europe and the US.

The Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf suspended an order of the German Federal Cartel Office to stop Facebook from combining data it collects about users across its platforms, as well as on third-party apps and websites. In a statement, the court said it had “serious doubts” about the legal basis for the cartel office’s decision, issued earlier this year.

“We are convinced that with the available antitrust laws we can take regulatory action,” Andreas Mundt, the head of the cartel office, said in a statement. “To clarify these questions we will file an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.” 

Facebook appealed February’s landmark decision by the cartel office that the world’s largest social network abused its dominant market position to gather information about users without their consent.

The Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling earlier on Monday that “The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being.”

Germany’s cartel office announced it would appeal a regional court’s decision to suspend restrictions the regulator had placed on Facebook’s data collection practices to the country’s highest court, reported Reuters. 

Full Content: Reuters

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