Facebook and Zynga might want to read this
Five minutes ago the new director of the Norwegian Data Inspectorate was announced to the press. It is no other than the same guy that went after Apple over the iTunes music store. Most know him as the now former Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman.
Why is this important ? Because the Consumer Council of Norway earlier this week accused Facebook of reselling personal information through Zynga and asked advice from the Data Inspectorate. And now the guy who went after Apple will decide if there is a problem or not. And then the Consumer Council will probably forward this recommendation to his old colleges. The very same people who put the squeeze on Apple.
Storing “especially sensitive (personal) information” in Norway requires a Concession Agreement (konsesjonsavtale) which can be canceled if the company does not protect its database. This applies to all companies which specifically targets the Norwegian marked. There has been several cases of banks outsourcing data management to foreign countries and this has triggered a more aggressive tone from regulators.
Bjørn Erik Thon blir ny direktør i Datatilsynet
Ny sjef for Datatilsynet