The European Commission has demanded Facebook provide more information about how consumer data is used or it will face sanctions.

The EU Justice Commissioner, Vera Jourova, said that the social media giant had failed to act promptly following updates to its terms and conditions in February.

Patience, Jourova commented, was running out and if the company failed to act then penalties will be applied before a deadline set for the 31st December.

Taking Action

At a press conference on Thursday, Jourova said: “If we don’t see progress, sanctions will come. This is quite clear, we cannot negotiate forever, we need to see the results.”

Facebook was not alone in being called upon to ensure their terms of service complied with EU regulations, with Airbnb drawing criticism in February. Both firms were ordered to improve communication with users and regulators so as to ensure greater transparency when handling and gathering data.

The Commission also told Airbnb to inform consumers over the total price of bookings, extra fees and to ensure that host information is more detailed.

Jourova told journalists that Airbnb had made the “necessary changes to ensure full transparency” following a repeated call in July. However, Facebook was still failing to comply and had made “very limited progress”

Protecting Data

Facebook’s data policies were an issue that Jourova was keen to tackle, as the firm characterises its data and content gathering as a means to “improve user experience.”

This, she said, did not highlight the fact that information was traded with third parties.

“If the changes are not fully implemented by the end of the year,” she said. “I call on consumer authorities to act swiftly and sanction the company.”

Facebook has responded to Ms Jourova’s comments, claiming it had updated its terms of service in May to include a number of significant changes proposed by the Commission.

“Our terms are now much clearer on what is and what isn’t allowed on Facebook and on the options people have,” the company said in a statement. Facebook also said it was “grateful” for the Commission’s continued feedback and due diligence on the issue of data protection, adding it hoped to “continue our close cooperation to understand any further concerns and make appropriate updates.”

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