Facebook and Instagram disable features in Europe
Published 17 Dec 2020
Facebook is disabling several features in its Messenger and Instagram apps for people in Europe, to make sure they comply with a change in privacy rules.
From 21 December, messaging apps will fall under EU rules known as the ePrivacy directive.
Facebook has decided to switch off several interactive options and offer just a core messaging service until it can add the extras back in.
Group chat polls on Messenger are among the tools to be switched off.
The ability to set nicknames for friends on Messenger will also be deactivated, while the sharing of augmented-reality face filters via direct message on Instagram will also be switched off in Europe.
Facebook said it had not published a list of all the features it was suspending in Europe because it would be quickly reactivating ones that it was confident complied with the rules.
The core text messaging and calling options on Instagram and Messenger will not be affected.
"We're still determining the best way to bring these features back. It takes time to rebuild products in a way that work seamlessly for people and also comply with new regulation," the company said in a statement.
The tools will be deactivated for users across Europe in stages, so some people may find they can still use them for a few more days.
There's nothing in the ePrivacy directive that bans the use of fun stickers or polls in messaging apps, so Facebook's move to disable them is a bit puzzling.
Its vague notification alerting users that "some features [are] not available" raised more questions than it answered.
It is quite possible that Instagram and Messenger polls and selfie stickers did nothing to violate the new rules - but Facebook wants to play it safe and offer a stripped-back messaging service until it can add the extras back in.
The ePrivacy directive is designed to limit what companies can do with your messages and the metadata - such as when they were sent - attached to them.
It also prohibits the interception or surveillance of communications and metadata without explicit consent from those involved.
Email services are not allowed to scan messages to show - for example - personalised advertisements without permission from the account holder.
In the last few weeks, Google's Gmail has prompted its users to opt in or out of "smart features" such as sentence prediction, which requires the text to be scanned.
Now that the ePrivacy directive applies to so-called "over the top" messaging services such as Facebook as well as traditional telecoms companies, we may see more apps update their policies or limit features.
Note:
ALL my Messenger Christmas greetings from Brazil to family and friends in Europe has also been blocked. What the hell is going on?
COPYRIGHTS
Copy & Paste lenken øverst for Yandex oversettelse til Norsk.
WHO and WHAT is behind it all ? : >
The bottom line is for the people to regain their original, moral principles, which have intentionally been watered out over the past generations by our press, TV, and other media owned by the Illuminati/Bilderberger Group, corrupting our morals by making misbehaviour acceptable to our society. Only in this way shall we conquer this oncoming wave of evil.
Commentary:
Administrator
HUMAN SYNTHESIS
All articles contained in Human-Synthesis are freely available and collected from the Internet. The interpretation of the contents is left to the readers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Administrator. Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Human-Synthesis will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. Human-Synthesis grants permission to cross-post original Human-Synthesis articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified.
The source and the author's copyright must be displayed. For publication of Human-Synthesis articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites. Human-Synthesis contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.