BRUSSELS — Facebook faces a steep daily fine here after a Belgian court ruled Monday it must stop storing data from people who don’t have a Facebook account.
The social network will be fined $269,000 a day if it doesn't adhere to the ruling within 48 hours, the court said in an e-mail statement. A privacy watchdog group here had sued Facebook for not complying with local privacy laws, leading to the court decision.
The court objected specifically to “cookie” technology that lets Facebook lodge on a person's Internet device for up to two years after they visit a Facebook page — whether or not they are a member of Facebook.
Willem Debeuckelaere, president of the Belgian commission, in May called Facebook's practice "disrespectful" of consumers.
Facebook will appeal the ruling, the company said in a statement. The company has insisted it’s subject only to such privacy laws in Ireland, where it’s European headquarters are based.
The court ruling is the latest skirmish between regulators here and Facebook, which has more than 1.5 billion members worldwide.
“It follows a trend of the courts in Europe,” says Alexander Whalen, manager of digital economy policy at DigitalEurope, an organization based in Brussels that represents more than 50 technology companies. “It does send a message.”
Privacy watchdogs representing the European Union’s 28 countries are looking into possible violations of EU law after Facebook changed its policy for personal data and photos last year. Regulators in the Netherlands have already voiced objections.
Facebook and other major U.S. tech companies increasingly find themselves under the scrutiny of European regulators across a broad swath of privacy-related issues. The European Court of Justice last month overturned an international agreement — the so-called "safe harbor" deal — that let Google, Facebook and other tech titans easily move the online information of millions of users between the 28-member EU and the U.S.
The Oct. 6 ruling gives regulators at each EU country the authority to enforce tougher guidelines on data transfers to the U.S., easing privacy concerns among consumers.
"Companies are left in a limbo," says Thomas Boue, public policy director at The Business Software Alliance in Brussels.
Follow USA TODAY San Francisco Bureau Chief Jon Swartz @jswartz.