Strengthening Safeguards Against Unlawful Data Scraping: Global Data Protection Authorities Issue Follow-up Joint Statement

On October 31, 2024, global data protection authorities, including Switzerland’s Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), issued a follow-up statement on data scraping, focusing on enhancing safeguards for social media platforms. This joint statement follows last year’s call to action, where authorities urged social media companies to implement effective controls against unlawful data scraping to protect user information.

Data scraping, the automated extraction of personal data from the internet, poses significant privacy risks, particularly for users of social media platforms. In their latest statement, authorities emphasized that companies must comply with privacy and data protection laws, especially when data is used to support artificial intelligence systems.

The recent engagement led by global data protection authorities and major social media companies highlighted the evolving challenges of detecting and mitigating unauthorized scraping activities. Key takeaways for the industry include regularly updating safeguarding measures to match advancements in scraping technology, ensuring that scraping for commercial or socially beneficial purposes is done lawfully, and deploying tools to differentiate between scrapers and authorized users.

In response to the measures outlined, social media companies have reported implementing platform design changes and artificial intelligence safeguards to better protect user data. This statement underscores a global commitment to ensuring data protection, addressing the risks of advanced scraping techniques, and balancing user privacy with industry innovation.

References:https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/en/home/kurzmeldungen/2024/update_data_scraping.html