This letter aims to alert on the main privacy risks associated with data scraping and to prompt social media companies and other websites to protect individuals’ personal data from data scraping in order to comply with applicable regulations, says CNDP in a press release.
It also aims to call on GAMMAs to adopt the necessary measures to minimize the privacy risks associated with data scraping.
Data scraping refers to the automated extraction of data from the web, adds the same source.
The press release explains that data scraping presents a number of risks, including: targeted cyber-attacks, identity theft, as well as spams or unauthorized direct marketing.
This joint statement has been directly addressed to: Alphabet Inc. (YouTube), ByteDance Ltd (TikTok), Meta Platforms, Inc. (Instagram, Facebook and Threads), Microsoft Corporation (LinkedIn), Sina Corp (Weibo), and X Corp. (Twitter).
It is also intended for individuals who use and disclose personal data on these websites, adds the CNDP.
In addition, the expectations set out in this joint statement focus on the key aspects that social media and other websites should take into consideration to ensure that the personal data accessible on their websites is protected, with the aim of complying with data protection and privacy laws worldwide, says the same source.
The CNDP has co-signed this statement alongside peer data protection authorities from the 11 following countries: Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Hong Kong (China), Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, Colombia, Jersey, Argentina and Mexico.
