Today: #DMA #compliance workshop with #Meta lawyers at the @EU_Commission:
The #DigitalMarketsAct mandates Meta to "enable end users to freely choose to opt-in to [combining or cross-using personal data] by offering a less personalised but equivalent alternative".
When I pointed out to Meta that by offering users to either #consent to #SurveillanceAds or pay € 275 per year for #Instagram & #Facebook isn't "equivalent alternative" they said, Meta *has* to do that because of #GDPR 😤 Really??
Background: #Meta had outlined in depth how all other instances of personal data cross-use and combination across services have now a real consent screen included that enables people to choose data use or "less personalised but equivalent" alternatives; aka not paid (as required by DMA Art 5.2).
Just not for #surveillance ads, presumably because this would impact Meta's bottom line.
#Meta lobbyist: "Nothing in this space is as secure and tried and tested as the #Signal protocol."
CC @signalapp
Ouh, so I just asked #Meta/#WhatsApp whether #interoperability with @matrix (should they request it) would apply to @element Inc, the Matrix.org reference server, or the entire federation?
Answer: probably the legal entity, so either Element Inc or the Matrix Foundation. I assume they would have to choose which server this includes.
But (did I hear that correctly?) the Meta person almost sounded as if a broadening to the federation could potentially be envisaged in the future.
In any event, it sounds like #WhatsApp is planning to make #interoperability opt-in only; but not in the way I suggested, which is give WA users a yes/no button when a non-WA user asks to connect, just like #Signal does already for Signal users.
I interpret #Meta's response to my question as meaning that WA users will have to actively switch on interop in the settings before people can ping them.
Today: #DMA compliance workshop with #Alphabet / #Google :)
While Alphabet seems to be better in terms of the new #browser & #search choice screens, they have a strange view regarding their new obligation to allow un-installing pre-installed apps like #PlayStore or #Gmail:
Alphabet's lobbyists argue un-install and remove are two different things and as the #DigitalMarketsAct's Art 6(3) only mandates un-install but not removal, the current "deactivation" feature in Android would be enough. 🤔
OK I'm back after the lunch break, and the #Google / #Alphabet compliance workshop is heating up nicely:
They're talking Google Shopping and #selfpreferencing and competitors are accusing Google openly to be like a "dictator" and "blatantly non-compliant" with the #DMA. 👊
tl;dr wrap-up from my 3rd day of #DMA compliance workshops with #gatekeepers: while #Google / #Alphabet seems to fare slightly better than #Apple in terms of compliance plans (from a digital rights perspective that is, I'm sure price comparison and hotel industries would disagree), there is still some way to go before the proposed changes can be called satisfactory. 🙊
And just to be clear: Google is still a terrible #privacy violator, the DMA will hardly change that.
Jan Penfrat
Maarten Aertsen
Benjamin Balder Bach