German govt ordered to get off Facebook

Data protection commissioner claims users' privacy is not being protected

Germany's data protection authority has ordered the nation's government to close its Facebook accounts, over concerns the technology company Meta that owns Facebook is not adequately protecting people's privacy, state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle has reported.

Ulrich Kelber, Germany's data protection commissioner, wrote to the government on Wednesday, telling it to shut all of its accounts, said the broadcaster, which is also known as DW.

Kelber said Berlin was compelled to comply with his request within four weeks, unless it appeals against the order in court.

DW said the data protection authority had been calling on the government to close its Facebook pages for some time, and that the dispute now looks almost certain to be headed for the courtroom.

In his letter, Kelber said he had concerns about Facebook's "extensive processing of personal data", which made it impossible for the government to operate its Facebook accounts without falling foul of the nation's data protection laws.

"All authorities have a responsibility to comply with the law in an exemplary manner," he wrote. "I think it is important that the state is accessible via social media and can share information, but it may only do so if the fundamental rights of citizens are respected."

DW said Kelber first raised concerns about the government's Facebook pages in 2019.

Facebook and Meta have responded by saying they fully comply with the law.

A Meta spokeswoman told DW social media platforms enable businesses and organizations to communicate with people and therefore provide a valuable service.

Germany's concerns about Facebook have been played out elsewhere within the European Union, where a slew of legal cases against the company and against other technology giants are rumbling through the courts.

The bloc is also working on new legislation aimed at reining-in online hate speech and promoting fair competition in the digital world; proposed laws known as The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.

The EU is also looking at ways to benefit financially from the success of technology companies within the European marketplace.

On Thursday, the bloc started a 12-week consultation process on whether technology giants, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, should pay more toward network costs.

The Reuters news agency reported the bloc theorizes that a handful of technology giants account for more than half of all data internet traffic on its networks, so should pay more toward the roll-out of 5G and broadband.

The companies have said the proposal sounds more like an internet tax, which would run contrary to the bloc's neutrality rules that call for all users to be treated equally.