The backlash of GDPR for not informing users may be far more severe.
Sure, but if the cost of paying the fines for that is less than the expected loss of revenue from demonstrating, directly, that you can't keep user data safe (to a global audience, not just Europe), it's rational for Facebook to take the fines (of course, arguing via their lawyers as long as possible that they shouldn't be required to pay them - lawyer bills are harder to spin as an admission of guilt).
I don't like it, but it makes some level of sense from their perspective. We tend, globally, to prefer "gentle swat on the back of the hand" level penalties for companies that have behaved terribly.
Re:Have I Been Facebooked?
by goatinaboat on Tuesday April 06, 2021 @02:43AM
(#26708743)
Sure, but if the cost of paying the fines for that is less than the expected loss of revenue
GDPR allows for fines of up to 4% of global revenue. Unfortunately the agencies that are supposed to enforce it are too feeble to do so.
I'm pretty sure the GDPR requires notifying affected users in addition to notifying data protection agencies. I haven't seen any public statement about the breach from Facebook, yet alone received any messages from them.
Interestingly my phone number seems to have been exposed but not my e-mail address. I don't recall providing my phone number to Facebook although I do recall explicitly being asked to. I do however use WhatsApp. I wonder if there's more to this.
I don’t particularly like Facebook or any big corporation FYI.