The Norwegian Data Protection Authority has calculated the resource usage and has so far spent 1,100 hours on cases related to Meta and Facebook.
This includes the six complaints filed by Meta and Facebook. It also includes lawsuits from Meta and Facebook to stop daily fines of 1 million kroner.
The daily fines were imposed because the Norwegian Data Protection Authority believes that Facebook is illegally monitoring its users.
– Excessive use of resources
– This is an excessive use of resources, and is very different from what we have been involved in at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority before, says Head of Department at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, Tobias Godin.
He says the work is taking too long because Meta and Facebook are using every opportunity they have to complain.
– When they receive a rejected complaint, they complain about the rejection. They also complain about things they have no right to complain about. In addition, they filed a lawsuit against us, Godin says.
Six complaints from Facebook and Meta
According to Godin, there are currently six administrative complaints from Meta and Facebook.
-We feel that Meta and Facebook are different from other companies we deal with. Godin says Meta and Facebook seem to have a strategy of suing everything and everyone.
Conflict with Facebook
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority has decided: Facebook and Meta must stop monitoring users as they do today. Officially, the parties are Meta Ireland and Facebook Norway. The first is because they have Facebook and Instagram platforms. The latter because they manage advertising sales in Norway.
Meta and Facebook complained and claimed that the decision was illegal. This complaint is addressed to the Ministry of Local Government and Regions.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority rejected the complaints, among other reasons, on the grounds that there was no right of appeal against this decision. Another justification was that the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Affairs is not a complaints body.
Meta and Facebook complained that complaints were dismissed.
These complaints are sent to the Personal Protection Board.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority has imposed mandatory fines on Meta and Facebook, meaning that the two companies must pay one million kroner per day until they stop monitoring users.
Meta and Facebook complained about the mandatory fine. The complaint was directed to the Personal Protection Board.
These complaints are sent to the Personal Protection Board.
Meta and the federation filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian Data Protection Authority and asked for a temporary injunction, meaning that the fines should stop until all complaints are addressed.
Meta and Facebook did not win in court when they wanted to stop the daily fines. But it is not known whether there will be an appeal. The deadline for appeal ends on October 6. The Inspectorate is prepared for the possibility of further legal action.
Prepared for several court cases
– This is how big companies seem to work. If they get a decision against them, they use any means possible. And you could argue that this is their right in a country governed by the rule of law, Godin says.
– But what is striking is that regardless of the subject of the decision or who makes the decision, Meta takes the case to the courts. “And then they seem to take it as far as they can,” he says.
For Facebook and Meta, observational advertising is important because information about what people like and read can be used to choose who sees a particular ad.
– For Meta and Facebook, there are big financial interests at stake because they gain a lot from this marketing. That’s why we wouldn’t be surprised if there are more lawsuits from Meta, Godin says.
I worked evenings and weekends
The annual work consists of 1,750 hours, and the Inspectorate has so far used 1,100 hours. Most of this takes place in July and August.
– This is an extremely excessive use of resources. We’re talking several thousand pages of papers.
“There’s a bunch of people here who had to work evenings and weekends,” Godin says.
Several issues are pending
The result was that the Norwegian Data Protection Authority had to put several other cases on hold.
-We have hundreds of other cases that had to be put on hold. All the work with Meta and Facebook means our processing time is very long.
– Did you request additional resources?
– We held a meeting with the ministry on Thursday last week and recorded how insanely resource-intensive this situation is, says Godin.
– We hope that the Ministry will provide us with funds so that we can also deal with such cases in the future, which is very important for many Norwegians, he says.
We must wait and see
For now, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority will have to wait and see. This is the message from Minister of Municipalities and Regions Sigbjorn Gelsvik:
– The Norwegian Data Protection Authority must at all times evaluate how allocated resources can best be used, he says and adds:
The Ministry is concerned that the Norwegian Data Protection Authority must have sufficient resources to carry out its tasks in a satisfactory manner. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority’s annual allocation level is part of the regular budget process, says Jelsvik.
Silence from dead
Nettavisen provided descriptive criticism from the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. We also asked Meta the following:
- Do you have a policy for appealing or complaining about all negative decisions directed at Meta and Facebook?
- Do Meta and Facebook have a strategy to sue everything and everyone, if you are challenged?
At the time of writing, Nettavisen has not received any response from Meta.
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