Wednesday

29th Mar 2023

Facebook account of data breach disappoints EU commissioner

  • EU commissioner Vera Jourova: 'I appreciate that [Facebook is] trying to be more transparent' (Photo: European Commission)

Vera Jourova, the European Commissioner for justice and consumer affairs is not yet satisfied with Facebook's action following the data breach of 2.7 million users in the EU, she told EUobserver via a spokesman on Friday (6 April).

"I appreciate that they are trying to be more transparent," she said about the US social media giant in a written statement.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"Unfortunately some explanations fall short of my expectations. It's clear that data of Europeans have been exposed to a huge risk and I am not sure if Facebook took all the necessary steps to implement change," she noted.

Jourova commented about a letter she received on Thursday by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.

The commission spokesman said the Facebook letter itself could not be made public.

The letter reportedly explained that data from possibly up to 2.7 million users from the EU may have been "improperly shared" with Cambridge Analytica, a UK consulting firm accused of having used that data in an attempt to sway the US elections and the Brexit vote.

"As I already said, for me this story is not only about data protection," said Jourova on Friday.

"This is a threat to our democracy and electoral processes. I would like to speak with Ms Sandberg about how they intend to ensure transparency and respect the rules of our democratic debate and how they plan to change once the GDPR is in place."

The GDPR is the general data protection regulation, a new piece of EU legislation that is expected to have severe ramifications on the relationship between companies that process personal data and their customers.

"This story is too important, too shocking, to treat it as business as usual," added Jourova.

"The internet is not a space free of rule of law. The rules that apply offline also need to be respected in the online world," she noted.

"Those companies have a great power; I want them to also bear great responsibility," the Czech commissioner said.

Mistakes were made

Earlier this week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a conference call with press that the company had made mistakes and that it was trying to improve security on the social media platform.

"We didn't take a broad enough view of what our responsibility is. That was a huge mistake. It was my mistake," he said.

"The reality of a lot of this is that when you are building something like Facebook that is unprecedented in the world, there are going to be things that you mess up," said Zuckerberg.

"If we had gotten this right, we would have messed something else up. I don't think anyone is going to be perfect. What I think people should hold us accountable for is learning from the mistakes, and continually doing better and continuing to evolve what our view of our responsibility is," he added.

Next week, Jourova will speak to Sandberg by phone.

EU data chiefs rally behind UK over Cambridge Analytica

EU leaders at a Brussels summit demand social networks and digital platforms guarantee transparency and privacy. Their call comes amid growing backlash against Facebook and Cambridge Analytica over voter manipulation.

Agenda

Facebook and Hungary top EU agenda This Week

The US internet giant's massive data breach will be discussed in the EU, while Europe will find out whether Viktor Orban and his party are re-elected for another term to lead Hungary.

Infographic

Facebook's increasing PR job in Brussels

Starting in 2012, when it first entered the EU's transparency register, Facebook has been steadily intensifying its lobbying efforts within European institutions.

Opinion

Why can't we stop marches glorifying Nazism on EU streets?

Every year, neo-Nazis come together to pay tribute to Nazi war criminals and their collaborators, from Benito Mussolini to Rudolf Hess, Ante Pavelić, Hristo Lukov, and of course Adolf Hitler, in events that have become rituals on the extreme-right calendar.

Latest News

  1. EU approves 2035 phaseout of polluting cars and vans
  2. New measures to shield the EU against money laundering
  3. What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking
  4. Dear EU, the science is clear: burning wood for energy is bad
  5. Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity
  6. Finnish elections and Hungary's Nato vote in focus This WEEK
  7. EU's new critical raw materials act could be a recipe for conflict
  8. Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality
  6. Promote UkraineInvitation to the National Demonstration in solidarity with Ukraine on 25.02.2023

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us