The Privacy Commission and its president, Willem Debeuckelaere, suspect several aspects of Facebook’s new terms and conditions, already effective for some weeks, of being illegal. The social network replies it will not bow to Belgian legal demands, according the Le Soir on Friday. Facebook, which is being investigated in several European countries including Belgium, because of its policies regarding privacy, has “opted to freeze the dialogue,” points out Willem Debeuckelaere.
“By accepting its terms and conditions, Facebook users give the network permission to use them for the rest of their lives,” he explains. According to research by the Privacy Commission, there is a huge and obvious gap between the information given to Facebook and the benefits they provide. In civil law, such a one-sided agreement does not affect the signatory as it is illegal.
But “Facebook say Belgian law does not apply because their main base is located in Ireland,” adds the Belgian lawyer, who summoned Facebook representatives to a series of meetings at the end of April.
(Source: Belga)
