Scandinavia cracks down on Facebook's unsolicited ads

November 25, 2012

Facebook could be taken to court by consumer organizations in the Nordic countries if it does not stop placing unsolicited advertisements in users' news feeds. The social network is likely to break the European Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications by letting companies advertise directly in users' news feeds, said Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman Gry Nergard on Friday. According to the directive, electronic mail for the purposes of direct marketing may only be sent to subscribers in Europe who have given their prior consent. The Ombudsmen of Norway, Sweden and Denmark believe that when Facebook places advertisements directly in the news feed of a user, the ads can be considered unsolicited messages. In May, they wrote to the then European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, to raise the issue. Dalli has since resigned, and Nergard now expects the Commission to reply early next year. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2016581/scandinavia-cracks-down-on-facebooks-unsolicited-ads.html