Facebook could be taken to court by consumer organizations in the Nordic countries if it does not stop placing unsolicited advertisements in users' news feeds.
The social network is likely to break the European Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications by letting companies advertise directly in users' news feeds, said Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman Gry Nergard on Friday.
According to the directive, electronic mail for the purposes of direct marketing may only be sent to subscribers in Europe who have given their prior consent. The Ombudsmen of Norway, Sweden and Denmark believe that when Facebook places advertisements directly in the news feed of a user, the ads can be considered unsolicited messages.
In May, they wrote to the then European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, to raise the issue. Dalli has since resigned, and Nergard now expects the Commission to reply early next year.
In their letter, the ombudsmen also expressed their concern about Facebook's "Sponsored Stories" advertising program, said Nergard.
Sponsored stories are advertisements for a product that often will be displayed to a Facebook user's friends after he interacts with a certain product or brand. A users might for example click "like" on a product page or check in at a local café or shop. These likes or check-ins tend to go by fairly unnoticed in people's timelines, so Facebook offers the businesses the option to "sponsor" the story. When a business sponsors check-ins for instance, the check-in will be highlighted in the news feeds of the users' friends, attracting more attention.
