Cookies are simple files that track whether a user has visited a website before and notify the site itself.
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Local media reported Monday evening that a Brussels commercial court had ruled that Facebook must stop within 48 hours the collection of data on users’ Internet browsing when they are not logged in.
Facebook has already said it will appeal the ruling, arguing that it has used the cookie for five years and that it helps keep the service “secure” for its 1.5 billion users.
In Monday’s decision, the Belgian court said Facebook uses a special “cookie” that lodges on an Internet user’s device if they visit a Facebook page, for example belonging to a friend, a shop or a political party – even if they are not signed up to the network.
If Facebook fails to comply, it could face a fine of up to 250,000 euros (£180,000) per day. Facebook is “working to minimize any disruption to people’s access to Facebook in Belgium”, she said. The survey contended that such tracking is conducted without explicit consent and is out of line with Belgian and European privacy laws. Facebook’s “disrespectful” treatment of users’ personal data, without their knowledge, “needs tackling”, Willem Debeuckelaere, president of the Belgian commission, said in May. The firm says it uses the information from that cookie only to weed out browsers being piloted by a machine rather than a human, and discards the browsing data after 10 days.
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The decision comes following a tough year for Facebook in Europe. The ruling said that the “safe harbor” deal offered room for US authorities to potentially interfere with user rights and there were insufficient protections in place to ensure that interference wouldn’t happen.
