A German court ruled yesterday that it had no jurisdiction because of Facebook's European headquarters in Ireland and, therefore, could not give an opinion on the use of pseudonyms social network. The Associated Press was the first to report the court's decision.
The court's decision comes two months after the agency data protection Unabhaengiges Landeszentrum fuer Datenschutz (ULD) in the northern German state Schleswig-Holstein has ordered Facebook to allow users to use pseudonyms. The company has a policy that requires all users to use real names. "It is unacceptable that U.S. portal like Facebook violates German law data protection without opposition and with no prospect of an end", Thilo Weichert, Commissioner for the protection of the country and the head of the ULD, said in a statement at the time. "The goal of the order of ULD is finally legal clarity about who is responsible for Facebook and what this company is bound."
For its part, Facebook argued that the requirement of real names to protect both adults and children.
Today the loss of the ULD might not be the end. According to the AP, the organization will appeal the court's decision and stuck to his argument that Facebook violates privacy law in the country. It is not clear if the seat is in Ireland offer the same protection to a higher court.
