Facebook faces daily fine in Belgium over privacy

Facebook faces a steep daily fine after a Belgian court ruled it must stop storing data from people who don’t have a Facebook account.

Facebook will be fined $269,000 a day if it doesn't adhere to the ruling within 48 hours. A privacy watchdog group had sued Facebook for not complying with local privacy laws, leading to the court decision. The court objected specifically to “cookie” technology that lets Facebook lodge on a person's Internet device for up to two years after they visit a Facebook page — whether or not they are a member of Facebook.