Facebook's 'Like' Button Declared Illegal by German State

Published November 17, 2014

Facebook's famous "Like" button has been declared illegal under Germany's strict privacy laws by data protection officials.

The north Germany state of Schleswig-Holstein demanded that dozens of websites that carry the button linking to the social networking site remove the offending item by the end of September or face a fine of up to €50,000 ($71,935), The Local reported Friday.

Thilo Weichert, of the state's data protection center, said the application allowed Facebook to illegally piece together a profile of web users' habits.

"Facebook can trace every click on a website, how long I'm on it, what I'm interested in," he said.

Palo Alto, Calif.,-based Facebook rejected Weichart's claim and said in a statement that the plug-ins were in full compliance with European laws.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/facebooks-like-button-declared-illegal-by-german-state