The Irish regulator DPC Monday searched the European headquarters of Facebook, makes the privacy watchdog announced Wednesday. The regulator is concerned about the new dating function Facebook Dating, which was due to appear in Europe just before Valentine’s Day.
According to the Irish regulator, Facebook only announced on 3 February that it wanted to roll out the new dating function. The regulator finds it worrying that Facebook announced the position just before the introduction at the DPC.
“Our concerns were exacerbated by the fact that no information or documentation was provided to us on February 3 regarding the protection of user data or the decision-making processes performed by Facebook,” writes the regulator.
To get these documents to hand as quickly as possible, the DPC searched the Dublin office and seized a number of documents
“We’re taking more time”
Facebook announced on Tuesday that it will stop rolling out the dating function in Europe. “It is important that we tackle the launch of Facebook Dating well,” a spokesperson for Facebook told NU.nl.
“We take a little more time to ensure that the product is ready for the European market. We have worked carefully to create strong privacy protection and have completed a so-called Data Protection Impact Assessment – a study of privacy risks – for the proposed launch We shared that with the DPC when it was requested. “
For the time being, Facebook Dating can only be used in North and South America and in a number of countries in Southeast Asia.
In September 2019 made Facebook in a blog post known to be planning to introduce the dating function in Europe in early 2020. Facebook users can create a separate dating profile and be linked to other Facebook Dating users. Users can show their interest in someone else by leaving a comment or by pressing a find button on the profile.
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