Facebook says that it will bow to privacy rules in Belgium that is aimed at stopping the company from using cookies to track people who aren't members of Facebook and who aren't signed in.
The ruling will basically see non-users being unable to view Facebook pages without logging in or creating an account with the social media network.
While the company will comply with the ruling, Facebook argues that the use of cookies for non-users offer stricter security for website members, as it helps prevent fake accounts to be made and reduces the risk of hijacking of users' accounts.
"We had hoped to address the BPC's concerns in a way that allowed us to continue using a security cookie that protected Belgian people from more than 33,000 takeover attempts in the past month," said a spokesperson for Facebook in a statement. "We're disappointed we were unable to reach an agreement and now people will be required to log in or register for an account to see publicly available content on Facebook."
It's important to note that this ruling will not affect anyone outside of Belgium, or anyone who has an account and is logged in. Facebook will continue to use cookies to track those with accounts.
Despite Facebook's arguments, it's likely that other countries around Europe will consider making the same steps as Belgium, especially considering the fact that Belgium isn't applying its own laws, it's applying European laws. Despite this, while individuals may be for the increased level of privacy, business owners, for example, may not be as happy about it considering the fact that non-Facebook users now won't be able to see their pages.
Via: BBC
