Through the use of emergency powers, a data protection agency was able to prevent the implementation.
Meta has been prevented from implementing election-related services on Facebook and Instagram in Spain because to a block placed by the Spanish government. In order to take preventative measures, the data protection agency known as AEPD made use of the emergency powers that are established in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union. This allowed them to prohibit the Election Day Information and Voter Information Unit tools for a period of up to three months.
Before the election for the European Parliament, Meta intended to introduce these instruments into the market. The firm stated that it created them to “respect users’ privacy and comply with the GDPR.” Despite the fact that it disagrees with the AEPD’s position, Meta has informed TechCrunch that it will comply with the ruling.
The agency became concerned about the manner in which Meta intended to process data using the tools. It stated that there was no reason for the collecting of age data (due to the fact that it was not possible to verify the ages that users had listed on their accounts), and it condemned Meta’s intention to keep the data after the election in June. A statement was made that stated that this strategy “reveals an additional purpose for the processing operation.”
Some of the additional data that Meta intended to analyze through the election tools included information regarding gender as well as user interactions with the aforementioned elements. “The agency considers that the collection and conservation of data planned by the company would seriously put at risk the rights and freedoms of Instagram and Facebook users,” the AEPD said in a statement translated from Spanish. “The company would see an increase in the volume of information that it collects about them, which would allow for the creation of more complex, detailed, and exhaustive profiles, generating more intrusive treatments,” the statement read. Worries were also raised regarding the possibility of such information being made accessible to third parties for “non-explicit purposes.”
According to the AEPD, Meta intends to make use of the capabilities in order to remind Facebook and Instagram users who are eligible to vote in the EU to cast their ballots. A watchdog organization asserts that Meta will determine whether or not users are eligible to vote by using their IP addresses and profile information regarding where they live. On the other hand, the only requirement to participate in the election is to be an adult citizen of any of the member states of the European Union.
According to the AEPD, Meta’s strategy is aimed at non-EU citizens who reside in member nations, but it does not include EU citizens who do not dwell in the bloc. As reported by Reuters, the organization referred to the manner in which the corporation handled customer data as “unnecessary, disproportionate, and excessive.”
Furthermore, the European Commission has expressed its reservations with the manner in which Meta conducts elections. Because of the corporation’s election procedures, the bloc initiated a probe into the company in the month of April.