Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    • Customer & Digital Experience
    • Digital Transformation
    • Data
    • Marketing Management
    • Marketing Operations
    • Performance Marketing
    • Special Reports
    • All Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Performance Marketing » Facebook’s “Find-a-Friend” Contacts-Invitation Tool Ruled Illegal In Germany

Facebook’s “Find-a-Friend” Contacts-Invitation Tool Ruled Illegal In Germany

Facebook’s “friend finder” bulk contacts-invitation function has been found to violate Germany’s data protection rules. The country’s highest court also called it a deceptive marketing practice and has ordered the feature disabled in Germany. The find-a-friend functionality uses a member’s contacts/address book and sends invitations to those individuals who aren’t currently on Facebook. The case […]

Greg Sterling on January 15, 2016 at 9:08 am | Reading time: 2 minutes

germany-flag-ss-1920

Facebook’s “friend finder” bulk contacts-invitation function has been found to violate Germany’s data protection rules. The country’s highest court also called it a deceptive marketing practice and has ordered the feature disabled in Germany.

The find-a-friend functionality uses a member’s contacts/address book and sends invitations to those individuals who aren’t currently on Facebook. The case resulting in the high-court decision was originally filed in 2010 by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations.

The decision by the Federal Court of Justice affirms two lower court rulings that found the tool a violation of Germany privacy laws and an unfair trade practice. Facebook issued a statement that it will “study [the decision] carefully to assess any impact on our services today.”

According to an aggregation of third-party data, Europe has a population of just over 820 million, roughly 73 percent of which are online. About 51 percent of European internet users are already on Facebook. So there’s still meaningful growth opportunity for the company in that market.

Facebook and several other US internet companies have a history of privacy complaints in Europe. This past December, Europe approved new data protection regulations that would take effect in 2017 and apply uniformly across the European Union. These rules formalize the Right to Be Forgotten and grant individuals more control over their data.

They are also at odds with US rules and will create operational challenges for non-EU companies doing business in Europe.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    How marketers are preparing for the future of in-game ads
    How CDPs transform donor experience for a nonprofit organization
    Welcome emails have best click-to-open and first purchase rates
    It’s time for CMOs to talk business
    10 questions to ask when auditing your email program

About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Performance Marketing

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS The MarTech Conference logo.

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Training Now: Master Classes

Start Discovering Now: Spring



The SMX Conference logo.

Start Training Now:: SMX Advanced

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes

Webinars

Tracking Growth From Organic Search

Beyond the Buzzword: Transform Digitally to Drive Organic & SEO Growth

Leap or Linger: Determining Which Ad Platforms to Test for Your B2B Brand

See More Webinars
Intelligence Reports

Enterprise Marketing Performance Management Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Customer Journey Orchestration Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Account-Based Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports
Featured White Paper

The CMO’s Formula To 3x Your Digital Marketing Campaign Results

See More Whitepapers
Search Our Site

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.