German court: Using personal data from Facebook is illegal

A German consumer rights group this Monday said a court found that using Facebook's personal data was illegal because the social media platform in the US did not adequately secure the consent of its users.
The decision by a regional court in Berlin comes when 'Big Tech' faces increasing demands for personal data and online advertising.

The German Consumer Confederation (VZVB) Federation said that Facebook's settings and some of its terms of service were in contravention of consumer law and that the court found parts that the use of the data was null and void.
"Facebook hides predefined settings that are not friendly to privacy and does not provide enough information about when users register," said Heiko Duenkel, a court policy officer at VZVB.
On the other hand, Facebook said it would appeal the decision even though some aspects of the trial had been in their favor. In a media statement, the company said it had already made significant changes in terms of its service and data protection guidelines.