The project that could force Facebook and Instagram to remove the "I love" button

The UK could force Facebook and Instagram to disable the "I Love" button for under 18s if a project announced today by the ICO, the regulatory body of the United States. communications, which proposes a battery of measures to improve the cybersecurity of children and adolescents.

The Office of the Information Commissioner (IOC) presented Monday morning a code of practice containing 16 recommendations for "age-appropriate design," which provides "practical advice on how to ensure that line adequately protect the personal data of children ".

Among these recommendations – for all social networks and online services in general – the agency has focused on measures to limit the collection of personal data and geolocation, in addition to reducing the "push" techniques with which businesses seek to keep people more connected to their applications.

The likes of Facebook and Instagram not only allow the American society to create profiles on children's tastes, but also encourages them to share more data and encourages them to spend more time in front of the screen, says the project. . ICO broadcast on the BBC network.

Something similar happens with Snapchat's "bursts", which could also be vetoed for minors, as they encourage them to hold consecutive conversations for several days.

On the other hand, the initiative forces social networks to inform children if their parents or guardians are monitoring their online activity.

Among other things, the ICO proposes that, for children, the privacy settings be "high", with the geolocation functions turned off and the advertising directed in a standard way.

This also requires age verification checks – or a priori, to treat all users as child-related – and to explain in plain language how and for what purpose the collected personal information is used.

The initiative will go through a consultation period until the end of May and it is expected that the final version of the code of practice (promoted as a new international standard) will come into effect in 2020.

Companies that do not meet this requirement could be fined up to 4% of their overall business, which in the case of Facebook would be about $ 1,600 million.

"It's the connected generation, the Internet and all its wonders are embedded in their daily lives," said Elizabeth Denham, director of ICO, in a statement to The Guardian. She added, "We should not have to prevent our children from using it, but we must demand that they be protected when they do, this code does."

The code, as explained in the draft, takes into account the norms and principles established in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and establishes specific protections for personal data in accordance with the provisions of the General Regulation on the Rights of the Child. data protection. of the European Union.