Facebook’s like button makes websites liable, top EU court rules

Facebook Inc.’s “Like” button makes third-party websites responsible for processing people’s data under the European Union’s privacy rules, according to the EU’s top court.

The EU Court of Justice weighed in on a dispute after an online fashion retailer was accused of violating EU law by embedding a Like plugin, which a local consumer association said allowed the social media company to collect data on the site’s users.

The owner of a website can be held jointly responsible for “the collection and transmission to Facebook of the personal data of visitors to its website,” the Luxembourg-based court said in a ruling on Monday.