Facebook’s data use ruled illegal, Pierce Brosnan under fire over India ad: International round-up

German court rules Facebook’s personal data use illegal

A German court has ruled Facebook’s use of personal data and default privacy settings, such as its ‘real name’ policy, as illegal.

Berlin’s regional court found the popular social media platform did not adequately secure the informed consent of its users in terms of collecting and using personal data.

The lawsuit was filed by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV), which claimed Facebook picked default features for its users that it shouldn’t.

According to reports, Facebook says it plans to appeal the ruling while vowing to make changes to ensure its policy complies with the European Union privacy laws, set to be implemented in June.

“We are working hard to ensure that our guidelines are clear and easy to understand, and that the services offered by Facebook are in full accordance with the law,” Facebook says in a statement.

READ MORE: Facebook personal data use and privacy settings ruled illegal by German court.

Skoda’s mission to Mars

Skoda has released video footage of its own mission to Mars, well, sort of.

Skoda, part of the Volkswagen group, has released video footage of its flagship ‘Superb’ model – a 280-horsepower sports car – seemingly en route to the red planet.

In a bid to win over French consumers, the Superb’s driver can be seen checking the rear-view mirror and the car’s headlight system before heading to Mars, which is actually a tiny village called Loire in the heart of France where he is greeted by dozens of locals.

The video was launched to coincide with an attempt by Elon Musk to send one of his Telsa Roadtester’s to orbit around Mars. The video’s narrator can be heard suggesting that the Superb will soon overtake its competitor.

READ MORE: Skoda releases video proof of sending Superb to Mars.

India threatens Pierce Brosnan with jail time over advert

Actor Pierce Brosnan has been threatened with a fine or jail time by Indian officials, who are asking him to explain why he appeared in an advertisement promoting a company that sells mouth-freshening products, some of which contain tobacco.

It’s illegal to advertise tobacco in India.

It is understood that the product Brosnan’s image was used to endorse does not contain tobacco but that other products sold by Pan Masala do.

The former James Bond actor claims he did not authorise the use of his image and that he’d only signed on to promote a single product and not the entire company.

However, officials in Delhi are threatening him with up to two years behind bars and a small fine.

The ad first appeared about 18 months ago on TV and in newspapers.

READ MORE: India threatens Pierce Bronson with fine over pan masala adverts.

KFC syncs TV commercials with social media to promote new product

Fast food giant KFC is bridging the gap between television and mobile viewership by syncing TV adverts with social media in a bid to promote its new Golden Egg Crunch in Malaysia.

As part of the campaign, the brand has released more than 20 versions of the video, which will appear on consumers’ mobile devices across Facebook and Instagram almost immediately after the same commercial airs on live television.

The ads, which were made in conjunction with Universal McCann and Ensemble, will appear on a users’ social media feeds if they are browsing a second screen while watching TV.

The campaign works by combining data from social media, TV viewership and TV ad/programme occurrence at scale.

READ MORE: KFC syncs TV spots with social media ads to launch Golden Egg Crunch.

P&G creates Dungeons & Dragons character to promote Old Spice

Proctor and Gamble (P&G) has created a Dungeons & Dragons character class to promote its Old Spice brand.

Consumers can download the new Old Spice ‘Gentleman Class’ for the popular role playing game in a bid to “fulfil that fantasy dream you have always had since reading this post,” the company joked on Twitter.

Old Spice noted that it couldn’t mention the name of game itself due to legal reasons, but it’s noticeably a reference to Dungeons & Dragons.

The tweet linked the user to a file that explains the class features and what they can do within the game.

“The Gentlemen will always find a way to rise above any challenge and inspire their companions to greater feats, all in the name of selling more Old Spice deodorant than Old Spice is already selling,” P&G says.

READ MORE: P&G geeks out with Dungeons & Dragons ad campaign.