Hamburger Datenschutzbeauftragter: Facebook verstößt gegen deutsches Datenschutzrecht

The data protection commissioner of Hamburg, Prof. Dr. Caspar, has issued an administrative order concerning Facebook Ireland Ltd., in which he, inter alia, obligates the corporation to permit the pseudonymous use of its service. According to the data privacy specialist, the necessity of a clear name in the social network violates the German data protection legislation. The process raises several interesting questions regarding the European data protection legislation that shall be treated subsequently at a glance. (ah)