France’s data protection agency, the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), has issued an order demanding changes in the way Facebook operates the social media site in France. CNIL is demanding Facebook stop tracking non-members without consent who visit the site and that they stop transferring some personal data back to the U.S. CNIL is also demanding Facebook implement stronger password complexity rules. The demands follow similar action taken last year in Belgium.
Facebook currently tracks any visitor to the web site through the use of cookies, even people who are not Facebook account holders. The type of cookie that Facebook uses can persist for up to two years. In Belgium, in response to this problem, Facebook changed their site to require users to log on in order to view any pages.
To get logged on, French users may have to update their passwords if they are currently using one that is six or seven characters in length. The CNIL is demanding Facebook bump their password complexity rules up to require at least eight characters.
Finally, CNIL informed Facebook that they must stop transferring personal data back to the U.S. due to the lack of a Safe Harbour agreement being in place. The old agreement between the EU and the US was ruled invalid in October 2015 and a new agreement, while drafted, has not been adopted. Facebook contends their transfer of personal data is governed by other legal contracts and they were not operating pursuant to the Safe Harbour agreement.
CNIL has given Facebook three months to comply with these new requirements or face potential fines. A Facebook spokesperson says the social media company looks “forward to engaging with the CNIL to respond to their concerns.”
source: BBC
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