Dutch government considering ditching Facebook
The Dutch government is considering withdrawing from Facebook altogether over serious concerns about how the social media platform handles data security. Conversations about this with parent company Meta have not yielded the desired improvements. Sources close to the government told De Telegraaf that an official memo outlines preparations for a Facebook ban affecting the entire government.
State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen of Digitalization confirmed to the newspaper that the government has been worried about how Facebook handles privacy-sensitive data for years. “In 2017, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) found that Facebook violated the [privacy law] GDPR in two areas: informing users and processing sensitive data,” Van Huffelen said. “Meta then made adjustments.” But that did not solve the problem, and new issues came to light.
Due to this and concerns raised by other countries, “the Dutch government conducted an investigation into privacy risks related to the use of Facebook Pages, a so-called DPIA,” Van Huffelen told the newspaper. The investigation revealed serious shortcomings. The State Secretary discussed them with Facebook, but that has not yet resulted in satisfactory commitments or improvements. Meta even disputed the flaws found in the DPIA. So, in November, the government asked the AP for advice on whether it is safe to keep using Facebook.
That advice is expected soon. But according to the Telegraaf’s sources, the government expects to ban Facebook and is already making preparations. The Ministries are mapping out what consequences a Facebook withdrawal will have for them.
Other social media platforms may follow, according to the newspaper. Van Huffelen recently decided to stop using X, formerly Twitter, herself. She stressed that it was a personal decision and not government policy. But one of the reasons she gave was that X wasn’t open to discussing and implementing improvements, and she specifically mentioned that Meta was holding these discussions.
The Dutch government already banned its officials from using TikTok due to concerns about espionage risks posed by the Chinese platform.
