On the one hand uncomplicated information for tens of thousands of followers – on the other hand serious data protection concerns. Should Hesse’s state government take its Facebook page down? The top data protection officer has a clear opinion on this.
Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – In the discussion about the lack of data protection on Facebook, the Hessian data protection officer Alexander Roßnagel insists that the state government deactivates its presence there. “Data processing when operating such a site is illegal,” he said in Wiesbaden. Roßnagel, who is also responsible for freedom of information in Hesse, explained that it was perfectly clear to him that the public authorities wanted and had to inform the public. “But this must be done in a way that does not violate the law.”
The topic should also be on the agenda at the Data Protection Day in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate next Tuesday in Frankfurt. Roßnagel referred to a decision by the Higher Administrative Court of Schleswig-Holstein, according to which the operation of a fan page on Facebook constitutes a “serious breach of data protection law”. The background is that Facebook saves who visits which pages in order to create user profiles. This is intended to place advertising in a more targeted manner.
In his own words, Roßnagel is counting on further talks with the state government and a solution. “But it can’t look like you just keep going.” The federal government is already one step further, said Roßnagel. The Federal Data Protection Commissioner announced an order to the Federal Press Office to shut down the fan pages of the public authorities. The Federal Press Office has until mid-August for a statement – then the pages would either have to be deactivated or there would be a court case.
According to Roßnagel’s suggestion, the state government should continue to expand its website hessen.de as an information platform for citizens. There are data protection-compliant alternatives to Facebook, he said, calling the platform Mastodon. It is still “a tender plant” with comparatively few users. “But Facebook started out small, too.” The Hessian and Rhineland-Palatinate state parliaments are already represented on Mastodon.
Deputy government spokesman Marco Kreuter explained that the state government is using all the elements of modern press and public relations work that is close to the people. “Of course, this also includes the high-reach social media and networks such as Facebook.” The corona pandemic in particular has shown how important fast and direct communication channels are.
The number of followers of the state government’s Facebook page alone has more than tripled to around 80,000 in the past three years, explained Kreuter. The State Chancellery is making great efforts to comply with both data protection and the obligation to provide information. In addition, Mastodon should also be used as an additional channel in the future, explained Kreuter.
