2022-01-16 23:00:00

This is the newsletter for January 2022 from the Foundation for Market Information Research to its relations, including the participants in its actions, its investors and sympathizers.

2022-01-07 13:29:13

The year 2021 is an annus horribilis for WhatsApp. Almost everything that could go wrong has actually gone wrong. It already went wrong in January. Then the platform announced its new privacy policy. The bottom line was that anyone who wanted to (continue to) actively use WhatsApp had to allow the company to pass on all the user's data to the parent company Facebook.

2021-11-18 08:49:18

In September of this year, the Wall Street Journal devoted some notable and critical articles about Facebook's actions. It would later turn out that Frances Haugen had provided the business newspaper with the necessary documents and data.

2021-11-16 09:10:34

In August 2021, SOMI has launched a collective data request to three tech companies from outside the EU: TikTok, Palantir, and Zoom. With this campaign, we request access to the personal data collected by these companies on behalf of our participants. SOMI and its participants are advised and represented by Douwe Linders from the law firm SOLV.

2021-11-15 10:45:22

Not so long ago, Facebook was the most celebrated social platform in the world. In fact, the company could do no wrong in the eyes of its users, companies, politicians, and policymakers. Little is left of that good name and fame. Facebook is under fire, both in Europe and the US. Especially in Europe, policymakers are making every effort to limit the (economic) power of the company and, rather, to break it. Comparisons are not wrongly drawn with Theodore Roosevelt's struggle at the beginning of the 20th century with the great conglomerates (robber barons) of those days.

2021-11-03 23:00:00

On September 1st, we have launched a campaign against Facebook data-leak, which allows users to check via SOMI app and at my.somi.nl whether they have become victim of the Facebook data leak from April 2021. Consequently it also shows how much of their personal data has been circulating on the Dark Web.

2021-10-08 04:34:44

Badhoevedorp, 2nd June 2021 - The Foundation SOMI is suing TikTok today for violating privacy legislation through a mass claim on behalf of parents of children who have used TikTok. The claim amount can rise to more than €1.4 billion. According to the foundation, TikTok is negligent when it comes to guaranteeing the safety and privacy of children on the platform. Internationally, this has already led to several deaths among minors. According to the foundation, it is, therefore, necessary to "intervene as quickly as possible".

2021-09-29 22:00:00

On 1st September, we have launched the Facebook-leak check function on SOMI app, which allows users to check whether they have become a victim of the Facebook data leak from April 2021 and how much of their personal data has been circulating on the Dark Web. Due to great success, we have recently added the Facebook-leak check function to our platform on my.somi.nl. It is now possible to check via your PC how much of your personal data has been exposed in the Facebook leak.

2021-09-10 22:00:00

As the first organization to do so in the EU, on June 2nd 2021, SOMI has served a summons to take TikTok to court for violations of children's privacy and failure to comply with GDPR obligations. In following-up to this initiative, last week two other foundations have initiated comparable claims against TikTok in The Netherlands.