Facebook can demand real names
2013-02-15 22:07
Berlin - Facebook can insist that its customers use their
real personal data when registering on the site, a German court ruled in a
decision published on Friday.
The administrative court in the northern state of
Schleswig-Holstein slapped down an order from regional data protection
officials that Facebook change its policy on collecting personal details.
Facebook asks its customers to provide their real full
name, e-mail address, gender and date of birth when registering.
If the firm finds false data have been given, it blocks
the account until proof of identity is provided.
The Independent Regional Centre for Data Protection in
Schleswig-Holstein (ULD) ordered Facebook to offer users the chance to give
pseudonyms and to unfreeze accounts blocked for using false data.
It threatened Facebook with a fine of $26 715 in case of
non-compliance.
However, the court said the ULD had no right to order
Facebook to unblock accounts.
It also ruled that German law did not apply in this case
as data are registered in the firm's European headquarters in Ireland.
Facebook's German office is responsible solely for
marketing, the court ruled.
ULD chief Thilo Weichert described the ruling, made on
Thursday but only made public on Friday, as "mind-boggling" and vowed
to take the case to a higher court.
Facebook has fallen foul of Germany's tough privacy laws
in the past, notably last year when authorities said its facial recognition
software violated users' privacy.
