Meta Says EU Was Like 'Fishing Trawler' in Antitrust Data Hunt (bloomberg.com) 69
Meta Platforms accused the European Union's antitrust authority of acting like "a fishing super trawler" by netting vast amounts of "wholly irrelevant" documents in an attempt to build a case against the U.S. tech giant. From a report: The commission was "hoovering up the whole sea bed -- with the intention that it will later see what species of rare fish it finds within its vast nets," Daniel Jowell, a lawyer for Meta, told a five-judge panel of the EU General Court in Luxembourg on Wednesday in a clash that turns the tables on regulators who often express concerns over data-collection practices of Meta's Facebook social network.
Meta accused the commission of refusing to engage with the firm and ignoring its suggested alternatives to render the data requests more "proportionate" and limited to what is necessary. Instead, the commission "sailed obliviously onward," using a "mechanical application of its search terms despite being on notice of the vast number of irrelevant documents this was bound to give rise to," Jowell told the court.
Meta accused the commission of refusing to engage with the firm and ignoring its suggested alternatives to render the data requests more "proportionate" and limited to what is necessary. Instead, the commission "sailed obliviously onward," using a "mechanical application of its search terms despite being on notice of the vast number of irrelevant documents this was bound to give rise to," Jowell told the court.
Company who gathers as much data as it can... (Score:5, Insightful)
... to further its own earnings, and influence over the lives of millions/billions of people, complains when someone else gathers as much data as they can about the company.
Now that's comedy.
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... Now that's comedy.
Not just comedy, corruption and deep denial as well.
Re: Company who gathers as much data as it can... (Score:5, Insightful)
Another abuser pretending they're the victim.
Re: Company who gathers as much data as it can.. (Score:3, Funny)
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If an elected governmental body kills a fly, it's the evilest genocide.
If a for profit commits actual genocide for profit, then it's their natural right that needs to be protected.
Re: Company who gathers as much data as it can... (Score:5, Informative)
You conveniently failed to mention the part where it collects data involuntarily on people who have never signed up to use its service nor visited its website.
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There's a lot of information surrounding that one, which either went by you without you noticing, or you're omitting it willfully.
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But but but, muh data! mUh dAtA!! It's amusing how hysterical people get over their fucking "data", then turn around and just give it away knowing full well what they're doing because it's convenient.
Bunch of whiney crybabies. I don't give a shit what info Facebook has on me, if I did I wouldn't use it (I rarely do, but I scroll through once in a while and use them for authentication on many sites). Weirdly, "muh data" being in their hands hasn't caused me any problems at all.
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You don’t have to use Facebook for it to have obscene amounts of data on you. They’re one of the largest data collectors and brokers in existence, and they don’t need you to use their product to collect it, because tons of other, unrelated websites have agreed to let Facebook track you and create a profile.
This is why Facebook is so pissed at Apple. It wasn’t the “allow app to track me” permissions Apple put in place: that info, while useful, is peanuts. By default, iO
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You forgot those of us that don't sign up for their service, think they are pure evil for the way they handle data, and don't want our data collected by them through shadow profiles, yet are stuck having it done anyway despite never intentionally interacting with them.
Maybe try running that one through your "multi-billion dollar corporations need my protection from the little man" filter.
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It collects information voluntarily on its users
Except that it collects information involuntarily on people who aren't even its users. Seriously mate have you missed the fact that "shadow profiles" are so prolific that they have their own frigging Wikipedia page? Have you not paid attention to the 2012 databreach showing that Facebook had accounts on non-users, as well as data users never provided to Facebook directly?
Are you really that ignorant or just that much of a corporate apologist?
The lady doth protest too much... (Score:2)
...methinks.
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Governments set limits on what companies can do for the benefit of consumers. I'm not sure why that's so difficult to understand. Maybe Facebook will be less profitable, maybe they'll have to switch business models. I don't know/care. In their current state they should not be allowed to continue to exist, for the good of society.
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Coming here to say exactly the same thing.
Data hoovering for me, not for thee.
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Coming here to say exactly the same thing.
Data hoovering for me, not for thee.
meta: You don't get it man! They're looking into our personal conversations and business dealings! We demand our privacy be respected! ...sounds terrible... karma's a bitch
Everyone on the planet:
Re:Company who gathers as much data as it can... (Score:4, Interesting)
Just because Meta did it, doesn't mean it's appropriate for the EU to do it.
In fact, one might be slightly more suspicious of the data collection and use policies of a government entity (which has a disturbing level of non-elected bureaucrats wielding tremendous regulatory power) doing it, than a social media company who can be largely avoided voluntarily by any reasonable person.
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If one person has your email address in an address book and willingly clicked that stupid, "upload all my info for to better give all data to zuck" button, you're profiled.
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> Evil douchebags.. how, specifically?
Amplifying the reach of extremists views to maximize advertising revenue?
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> So.. facilitating free speech by douchebags. Gotcha. Those evil bastards!
So.. no.
Facebook promoting extremisms for free isn't about facilitating free speech when individuals already have free speech.
Calling what FB does evil is maybe hyperbole but that's also a matter of aesthetics or rhetorical positioning.
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Failing to line up with the world's media against Trump, basically.
They DID allow CA to collect the same sort of data collected during Obama II campaign, when /they/ were lauded for 'leveraging data' to ensure that 'as many people voted as possible'.
But I mean, Trump is evil. I hear he eats babies.
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The big difference is that Meta did it to people while the EU is investigating a company.
Also from TFA: The number of documents the commission received from Meta at the start “was very limited,” which is why the EU changed its approach.
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EU simply following the examples from the US 'in'Justice Dept.
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Just because Meta did it, doesn't mean it's appropriate for the EU to do it.
You don't think it's appropriate for a regulator to request information about how a regulated company runs it's business? What next, cops should issue speeding fines, but not be allowed to use any means of determining what speed you're travelling?
Sorry kiddo, a company has to abide by rules and regulations for operating in a jurisdiction, and regulators have the authority to request whatever information they need for the purpose of ensuring the regulations are met. This isn't personal information of people
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Sure. But the EU does have a long and ignoble history of legislative and regulatory overreach in general and harassment of US tech companies in particular. So, leopards not changing their spots and all that, it's not implausible that they're doing so in this case as well. Also:
> rules and regulations for operating in a jurisdiction
The EU also has a long and ignoble of exporting their rules outside their jurisdiction, which I consider to be even worse. So I'm not very inclined to give them the benefi
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But the EU does have a long and ignoble history of legislative and regulatory overreach
Source?
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What bizarre conspiracy involves the EU's antitrust authority collecting documents for some purpose other than an antitrust investigation?
Aside from anything else, if they did that it would cause the legal case to collapse and Facebook to send them a very large legal bill. It would also likely result in the people involved losing their jobs.
And yes, un-elected civil servants do wield regulatory power, that's how regulations work in every country. Since when have elected politicians done that work? How many
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Just because Meta did it, doesn't mean it's appropriate for the EU to do it.
In fact, one might be slightly more suspicious of the data collection and use policies of a government entity (which has a disturbing level of non-elected bureaucrats wielding tremendous regulatory power) doing it, than a social media company who can be largely avoided voluntarily by any reasonable person.
Quite,
One is a merciless organisation answerable to no one with zero interest in your safety or well being, utterly corrupt and self perpetuating who is willing to abuse your private data to it's own benefit regardless of the harm...
And the other is the EU.
BTW, if you think you can avoid Facebook, let alone easily then you clearly have not been paying attention. That's a large part of the reason they're being investigated by the EU.
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It's almost like when you go out of your way to piss off government and offer no apologies about it, that government finds a way to fuck you back; and their fucking will be far worse because they own the tax code and legal system.
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Actually, it's schadenfreude and couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of assholes.
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So that's what META really stands for ...
Money
Earned
Trawling
All
or
Mark's
Earnings
Totally
Aloof
=P
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World's smallest violin (Score:5, Insightful)
A company that trawled AND profited off selling people's private data is whining that the EU was trawling their data?
Pot, meet Kettle.
Here is the world's smallest violin for Meta --> .
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The commission was "hoovering up the whole sea bed
Yes, because they know that's where Facebook hides things.
Prior Art (Score:4, Informative)
Dear antitrust authority,
Please watch this [media.ccc.de] before you give in to them. And then check if they have done anything in the meantime to be less intrusive.
They can complain all they want (Score:2)
because they aren't "getting off the hook" this time.
So? (Score:2, Informative)
"a fishing super trawler" by netting vast amounts of "wholly irrelevant" documents in an attempt to build a case against the U.S. tech giant.
Nevermind the method: if they find the dirt on Facebook, it'll have been my tax money put to excellent use and I'm all for it.
Oh and yes, as always, it bears repeating: it's FACEBOOK, not Meta. Meta is the fake holding company Facebook has put together to evade taxes and make everybody believe it's something more than just horrid Facebook. Incidentally, similarly, it's GOOGLE, not Alphabet.
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Oh and yes, as always, it bears repeating: it's FACEBOOK, not Meta. Meta is the fake holding company Facebook has put together to evade taxes and make everybody believe it's something more than just horrid Facebook.
I just think that "Meta" stands for "Metastasize", since it describes Facebook and its other privacy raping properties perfectly.
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The way it is (Score:3)
What part of "Worldwide, and through all human history, people go into politics to get in the way, to get paid to get back out of the way" do people not understand?
Once in power, of course, there's skimming off the top in one of a thousand ways.
In 1990, the BBC had articles about massive protests of college students in India. Seems the government had set aside something like 50% of new jobs for the lower castes. The students were protesting against this.
I thought it odd. In the US, they would protest in favor of it. I asked some Indian colleagues (we were all on contract in Europe on the same project.)
"You have to understand," he said, "in India, you go into government to get wealthy and make a better life for yourself and your family."
He then gave an example, "If you can become the guy for a region who approves new buildings, you have it made. The standard 'fee' is 10% of the cost of a new building."
In western countries with a free press, they have to hide it a little better. When was the last time you had to take an extra $200 down to the DMV or be prepared to wait years for your driver's license?
Cute (Score:3)
It's really cute how a privacy rapist is whining about having its own privacy raped.
Let me grab some popcorn...
Thank you (Score:2)
From a sleazy corporation like Metastasis, this is a compliment.
"Meta" stands for... (Score:2)
"Metastasize"
To Improve Your Regulatory Experience (Score:2)
Your corporate data may be collected and shared with our affiliated countries as outlined by our privacy policy to enhance your regulatory experience.
Your turn Zuck (Score:3)
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"suggested alternatives" is a nice way of saying "we told them they have the option of fucking off, but they didn't choose to avail themselves of that alternative."
My "suggested alternative" for Facebook is to go fist themselves while gripping a bundle of barbed wire.
Oh nooooo! (Score:2)
I had to shorten my NOOO to be acceptable to slashdot. If it got rid of the ascii nazi I guess thats okay.
Pot Calling Kettle Black (Score:2)
Ahem.... (Score:2)
EU are invasive! (Score:1)
...but we pwn them in the data-collection stakes. ooh rah!
It's called bycatch (Score:2)
Ask any trawler.
You extra secrets will be transformed into cat-food.
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Big "hit dog will holler" energy here (Score:2)
Giant crybabies. (Score:2)
I have only three things to say about this (Score:2)
Fuck Meta. Fuck Facebook. Fuck Zuckerberg.
Facebook==Funny (Score:2)
What's really funny this morning is a second article about a researcher who went into their VR thing and was "sexually assaulted" within the hour.
Funny, (he hastened to say) only because of F's response: all the EXACT same words they use about online verbal abuses: "we have a policy; we're working on it; give us time". Everything but the word "algorithm".
Funny because, all this was built AFTER they'd taken all the criticism for online abuse, and promised fixes on the way. So they build something all rea
So Meta is complaining... (Score:2)
...that the EU is indiscriminately sucking up data.
Meta owes me a new irony meter. They broke this one.
Turnabout is fair play (Score:2)
So the regulators are sucking up vast quantities of data about Meta in the same way that Meta sucks up vast quantities of data on people?
Sounds fair to me.
Oh the irony (Score:1)