Companies using Facebook ‘Like’ button liable for data: EU court

Companies that embed Facebook’s “Like” button on their websites must seek users’ consent to transfer their personal data to the U.S. social network, in line with the bloc’s data privacy laws, Europe’s top court said on Monday.

Website plugins such as Facebook’s “Like” button are a common feature of online retail as companies seek to promote their products on popular social networks, but critics fear the data transfer may breach privacy laws.

The ruling from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) came after a German consumer body sued German online fashion retailer Fashion ID for breaching personal data protection rules via its use of the button on its site.