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FACEBOOK HAS ANNOUNCED it will launch a new privacy tool that will allow users to limit how the social network gathers their data from third-party websites and apps.
The company said that it is adding a section to its site where users can see the activity that Facebook tracks outside its service via its “like” buttons and other means.
Such data is among the information that Facebook uses to target ads to its users.
Formerly known as “clear history”, the new tool – announced more than a year ago – will be called “off-Facebook activity” and allow users to turn off tracking from third-party websites.
It will also let users delete their browsing history from Facebook and prevent the company from keeping track of their future clicks, taps and website visits in the future.
However, while users will be able to disconnect their activity from specific websites or apps if they activate the feature, tracking will continue in the same way if they do not.
The feature will launch in South Korea, Ireland and Spain next Tuesday, consistent with Facebook’s tendency to launch such features in smaller markets first.
The social media giant did not provide a timeline for when it might expand the tool to bigger markets, only saying that this would happen in “coming months”.
The new tool is not expected to change the number of ads users see on the website, nor will it change how their actions on Facebook are used to show them ads.
Facebook will also continue to gather data on users’ off-Facebook activities, with the company saying that while businesses won’t know which individuals clicked on an ad, companies will still be informed that someone did so.
Jasmine Enberg, social media analyst at research firm eMarketer, told AP that the tool is part of Facebook’s efforts to be clearer to its users on how it tracks them and is likely “an effort to stay one step ahead of regulators, in the US and abroad”.
Its launch comes as Facebook faces increasing scrutiny over its privacy practices, including a $5 billion (€4.5 billion) fine from the US Federal Trade Commission for mishandling user data.
With reporting from Associated Press.
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Tax people who are on the dole long term.
It might get them back on a living wage.
Some household have 2nd and 3rd generations on the dole
@BaaB: how many? Can you support this with statistics please?
@BaaB:
Agreed. You can’t have a living wage and one of the most lavish welfare and benefits systems in the world.
The OECD has criticised Ireland more than once in recent years for being a rare country that pays dole for life. It’s unsustainable.
Italian govt’s new proposal is a good idea.
Refuse three job offers in two years and lose your dole.
@Stiofan De Barra: Yes, according to OECD Ireland has the largest number of workless households in the EU, and that’s been the case even during the boom.
@The Quare Fella: I read recently that Australia stops your dole if you refuse interviews. They also have a program call ‘Work for Dole’ where you are sent if you refuse interviews or mess up interviews etc on purpose. You have to work in the charity sector for 3 days a week for 3 months to get full dole back. That said, they also provide free training, free food vouchers, travel money to interviews and first week of work to encourage you. It’s not all about the stick but there must be one.
@Bunny Johnson: Some right idiots on here. Job seekers allowance is a means tested payment paid to those who are actively seeking work. If someone is not actively seeking work they’ll be sanctioned and eventually suspended from JSA. There’ll always be an unemployment rate of 4-6% and this is classed as full employment. The majority of these claimants are people who are too old/outdated skills and cannot be retrained in new skills i.e where automation. A very small number is made up criminal convictions, travellers who can’t read and write. It’s impossible to be fit for work and stay on JSA long term.
@The Quare Fella: Here’s what the OECD said…
“To help tackle low labour market participation among vulnerable groups, the OECD argues for making all social benefits conditional on earnings and not employment status and for withdrawing them more gradually as earnings rise.”
and
“Some aspects of the social welfare system continue to disincentivise labour market participation by imposing high effective tax rates when taking up work.”
The OECD is proposing we adopt the Nordic Model…
“Welfare benefits in the Nordic countries are often tied to employment. We argue that this is one of the factors behind the success of the Nordic model, where a comprehensive welfare state is associated with high employment. In a general equilibrium setting, the underlining mechanism works through wage moderation and job creation. The benefits make it more important to hold a job, thus lower wages will be accepted, and more jobs created. Moreover, we show that the incentive to acquire higher education improves, further boosting employment in the long run. These positive effects help in counteracting the negative impact of taxation.”
Kolm, A.S. and Tonin, M., 2015. Benefits conditional on work and the Nordic model. Journal of Public Economics, 127, pp.115-126.
@The Quare Fella: Where would the government and the likes of you be if there weren’t an “underclass” created to focus on and blame the ills of the country on?
@BaaB: Yes. It’s the poor that are the problem.
@BaaB: food stamps for those on long term benefits.
@BaaB: Why is it when anything like this comes along the first comment is aimed at those on the dole. If you become unemployed at 20 you will get €107 per week, which is means tested, and you want to tax that. At 26 the rate is less than €200pw. Again means tested. Obviously no empathy for those on low income who have to survive in one of the most expensive countries in the EU.
@Tœ Frøzën: Do you have figures for the numbers suspended from the dole to support your argument. Over 100,000 unemployed for more than a year and I don’t see them having anything cut.
4-6% unemployment does not mean “full employment”, our EMployment rate is 67%, Iceland’s is 86% – we are no where near “full employment” and using the fiddled unemployment rate to demonstrate full employment is incorrect in the first instance. Many many people to get back to work here, highest dependency on welfare in Western Europe at 20%, next highest is U.K. on 13%.
You’re spinning stats to suit your agenda.
@BaaB: blabbing about absolute bull
@Damon16: I think you’ll find Greece, Spain, Italy, France and many others have higher unemployment rates. In fact, the EU average is 8.3%. Irelands is 5.1%. Like I said,not paying a living wage means the state picks on the cost. Its a false economy.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/268830/unemployment-rate-in-eu-countries/
@Stiofán Mac Stáin: it’s 600 people less than 1% of the total on social welfare on for 20 years so considered lifers.
The figure was published here and RTE from the dept. this month.
Total scapegoat. There are not thousands of 2nd and 3rd generations on the dole.
They cut you off after 6 months now if you don’t do training or job interviews
@BaaB: Just 12.3% of 2017 €19.9B was spent on unemployment benefits.Anyone on JA/JB have to actvely engage in job activation schemes/further education courses!
Many social welfare payments are taxable already,Google it!
The problem is someone who works on minimum wage has less disposable income than someone who doesn’t work at all.
@neuromancer: Yep, and significantly less disposable time.
And the benefits of being in employment (confidence, a routine, social benefits etc) are often ignored.
@neuromancer: How so? Have you figures to back this up?
@Michael Lynch: Well if you have social housing and are on welfare you pay about €30 a week rent.
Electricity food etc isn’t that expensive so the disposable income is pretty significant from 190 dole or whatever it is
Even if they work out about the same, one person works 40 hours the other 0. Not really fair to have an equal standard of living
Things will only get more expensive in this country. People are living week to week and don’t have enough left over at the end of the month to save for when they retire. It will only get worse.
@David Corrigan: Yes and increasing costs for business only lead to businesses passing those costs on to consumers, or the business transferring to another country.
One thing is for sure, A person going out doing a weeks work should not be taking home less than someone on welfare.
Is this another way of asking ‘should the minimum wage be increased to €11.60 per hour’? In other words, should we impose an approximate 20% increase in staffing costs on small businesses throughout the country? Think about what that would really mean. Either staff are let go because employers can no longer afford to keep them….or else prices go up, to raise the extra income to pay the increased wages. Now…still a good idea?
@Jumperoo: as opposed to business continuing to externalise the cost of labour to the state?
@Jumperoo: if this is introduced small companies will have to close, no doubt about it.
@Jayo Breathneach: Then how does the state deal with the lost income from the taxes on said small business?
@John Horan: because those on living wages be paying tax on that income so its going back into the system. Not to mention they will also spend that money on taxable products, food, clothes etc all VAT going back to the goverment. People will have more disposable income. Either way take it from the business or the employee it still goes back to the one tax man.. only difference is business’ afford to operate and staff can afford to live and spend.
@Jumperoo: When people who work are worse off than those who dont something needs to be done… Working poor need to be acknowledged, Leo and his crew ignore them..
@Christine Hanway: so on that logic we should just increase everybody’s salary to infinity and then the government will gain tax revenues? Have you ever heard of inflation? Not been seen for quite a while but ask anybody who had a mortgage in 70′s and 80′s what the interest rates were like. I think you didn’t do too well in economics.
@Christine Hanway: so raise the minimum wage hence they pay more tax businesses raise price of everything to offset these increases cause every rise filters down to employers and small businesses dole rises where does it end
@Jayo Breathneach: A taxation break only works when you’re making a profit. You don’t run a small business, do you?
The per hour rate is not the problem, it’s the amount of hours at that rate is the issue.
@Graham Murphy: I’d go even further and say it’s the spending power that’s the issue. Our economy is so inflated that everything is incredibly expensive. Changing he minimum wage isn’t going to solve that.
Will likely affect small businesses the most. Prices change to reflect the amount of disposable income people have
Pay the nurses
@Robbie Redmond: no
@Robbie Redmond:
If we we’re all in pensionable jobs and get decent wages I would not complaint
Catch-22. Increase the minimum wage all you’d like, but you’ll see increases in prices for goods and services across the board while creating a greater divide between those who are not able for work, or those out of employment temporarily. This country will turn into the likes of Switzerland, or Norway in terms of pricing, without any of the benefits.
@Fallible Guy: and Sweden €10 for a pint of Guinness.
@Fallible Guy: That’s only true if you think that companies in Ireland are paying their employees the most they possibly could while staying in business, and that simply isn’t true. This might be worth a read: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/2015/07/23/misconceptions-raising-the-minimum-wage-does-not-automatically-lead-to-inflation/
I think the minimum wage should be set as a living wage and adjusted for inflation. Any business that pays it’s workers so low that they have to seek government assistance like rent suppliment are having the taxpayer suppliment their bottom line indirectly. As corporation tax is significantly lower than income tax we should be trying to us the law to increase wages where companies are profitable so that we increase the tax take as a whole and provide more healthcare, infrastructure etc. to the nation. I know their is a fair argument that some businesses would not be profitable at all at a living wage but if they are not they are already a failed business we are all keeping afloat already.
@Edmund Murphy: living wage would simply spiral out of control if adjusted for inflation. quite simply landlords will put up the rent if they think their tenants have more money causing inflation to increase once more. if we had adequate housing supply then the cost of living would decrease. We are supplementing landlords when it comes to rent allowance or supplement.
@Darren Byrne: it works in Australia, they do have a load of housyrs/apartments though.
@Darren Byrne: Can’t argue with that. We need a not for profit semi state housing company like they have in Germany making and selling houses near cost to put a floor on the market.
@Edmund Murphy: I believe that company is invested in heavily by pension funds. In essence they put money by for their pension which makes money from them renting the properties. It covers them for retirement where they still may have to rent.
@Darren Byrne: That seems like a good thing but I’m honestly to uninformed about the pension system to know.
Increasing minimum wage to a living wage would only drive up the cost of living, so they would be no better off and the skilled workers would be worse off.
@Harry Trafford: unfortunately its true about cost of living. People on minimum wage are more likely to rent. if they get extra money and the land lords get a sniff of it they’ll put the rent. If the housing supply in this country was sorted out so that there was some surplus that would go much further towards to reducing the cost of living.
A full time family carer gets a basic of 1.27 euro an hour on allowance for 24/7 care. Some get nothing and many never get a holiday or even a day off.
Try living on the state pension.its a joke with this monopoly money we have
@liam ward60:
My parents (80s) only get €230 between them (not enough contributions), run a car and still manage to save something each week.
@Patrick Nolan: Do they have a mortgage?
@Patrick Nolan: They are only telling you that to keep you from bumming off then. Doesn’t the spin unit pay a living wage?
@liam ward60: did you not plan for retirement? Private pension etc? Surely you knew what the pension would be before you retired?
@Patrick Nolan: non contributory pension is 242 per week for over 80s. It is means tested so unless your parents have other incomes then the Department is grossly wrong or your story is lies.
@GerryCummins: private pension s was only for the elite during my working life not for the working class
Surely the minimum wage should be a living wage.
Yes a living wage should be introduced and those who can freelance and add more income to that should be allowed to do so. When you hear of theme park’s trying to introduce funny humanoid robot’s you know more job’s are constantly getting replaced by technology. Lot’s of grocery retailer’s are using self scan checkouts. Lot’s of large business’s are using electronic data interchange and reducing administration job’s. It’s a trend that will continue to displace further job’s.
Anyone who is fit, healthy and long-term unemployed (>12 months) in this market, simply doesn’t want to work. They should have all social welfare payments cut to zero immediately.
surely the point of a job is to have money to pay for the things we need to survive so if a job doesn’t pay a living wage then the staff are basically doing the boss a favour
How it is legal to have to work for less than living wage is beyond me. No wage should be less than living wage, that’s a form of slavery.
Meaningless tripe. What good is €11.90 an hour if you are only working 10-20 hours a week?
@Kate Murphy: much better than €9.80 ph for a similar or smaller hours contract.
Pay everyone who is working 198 as well as their wages, remove rent allowance/rent supplement/HAP. Rent increase freeze on all residential properties for 5 years.
@neuromancer: So you’re freezing self employed landlord’s income but increasing everyone else’s? Increasing everyone’s income will inevitably lead to higher prices, which will put landlords at a loss. May cause them to withdraw from the market which will mean less rental properties available.
@Padraig Bateman: Read my comment again. I said Rent INCREASE freeze.
@neuromancer: Read my comment again. A rent INCREASE freeze, is a freeze on the income of the person the rent is paid to.
@Padraig Bateman: Will they pack up the properties and take them with them?
@MickN: No, that’s a silly idea. They may chose to use it for short term lettings like Air BnB, far less restrictions and regulations. Plenty of older buildings in Dublin are split into different rental units, if they’re sold, they can be bought by someone who wants to use it as their family home and instead of 4 rental properties, you have one family home. I know of several examples of this happening.
@Padraig Bateman: Ok
I have always been of the opinion that a government should not have a living wage but seriously tackle to bring down the cost of living; the cost of living is way too high and needs to be addressed – childcare, transport costs, tax on petrol + diesel to name a few
The “living wage” is just a bandage that we are slapping over the real issues facing this country. Social inequality is rampant, the cost of living is soaring ever higher, the housing market is a mess and the tax burden on the middle class is unsustainable. Paying an extra two euros and hour to the most vunerable in our society is only going to kick the can down the road and long term will make absolutely no tangable difference.
@Frank Lee: Frankly, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Frank Lee
This is one of the corner stones mentioned in Agenda 21/30
The problem is the unintended consequences. Increasing the minimum wage to that level would undoubtedly cause employers to employ less people or go down the mechanisation route to fill the gaps. This would disproportionately affect low skilled workers with little experience in the labour market as their labour is simply not worth that much money to an employer. Therefore many unskilled workers will be blocked out of the labour market for life. You see this in places like France and Italy where the cost of employing a worker is much higher than here. Also, increasing the minimum wage will put upward pressure on wages in general, that will lead to rising prices generally in the economy meaning that the purchasing power of that living wage will fall over time. Its important to take into account the consequences of policies like this.
@Damon16: There is also the matter of employer PRSI. Every increase to employee wages leads not only to the employer paying that but also increases the already quite hefty PRSI payment which all employers are obliged to fork out for the privilege of employing workers. This is one big factor that all employers have to consider when hiring someone and of which very few employees are aware.
Should we not be looking into a universal basic income and doing away with welfare payments?
The’dignity ‘of labour deserves a living wage.
There are differences between Should, Can and Ought.
After tax,11.40 for 40 hrs is roughly same as the dole for man / woman with 2/3 kids when deduct travel expenses and buying lunches .
@Anne Feerick: Not really no. Nice populist comment but factually wrong sorry – after tax it’s about 390-400 euro which is double the dole.
If you have kids in school you need to notify revenue as your PAYE should more or less be 0 as tax credits are increased for that
Google ‘Deloitte tax calculator 2019’ and you can see what you should be paying
Is €11.90 really a living wage? Sweden has a minimum wage of 180sek (€17.56) who’s cost of living is similar to ours Not the UK cost of living is much cheaper there
Yes! What a stupid question. People working in more challenging jobs are getting less. Minimum wage here should be 11.60. The wage it is now isn’t enough to get by.
@sharon: What if it results in lower guaranteed hours for staff? Or automation of tasks by unskilled labour’s? Have you ordered a burger in McDonald’s lately?
@Padraig Bateman:that will never happen. Will employees in lidl or Aldi be affected and have their days cut ? Not all McDonald’s have the kiosks by the way. Naming one company still doesn’t prove the point.
@sharon: Self Service tills in Tesco. Petrol Pumps where you pay at the pump. Self service kiosks in Argos. Self service tills in Boots. Toll tags replacing the boots on toll roads. Automated machines in train stations eliminating the need for a person. Do you want a few more examples? ‘it will never happen’ – it already is.
@Padraig Bateman: but that is happening already regardless of minimum wage or living wage. Time + technological innovation is going to equal more automation in society, especially labour. So the question becomes, “what do we do with workers who are replaced by automation?”.
In the long run a living wage is the sensible thing to do but it must be coupled with logical legislative/policy/social initiatives & changes, for example, tax relief for SME’s or more emphasis on skill based training and trades. Obviously it’s a lot more nuanced & complex than that but the point is, a living wage or something else a kin to that is likely going to have to happen and could be a benefit to society as a whole,as long as it’s done correctly. Let’s open dialog on it now and makes sure it’s done right.
I would defy any of you to live on 11.50 per hour. It may be possible if you dont have a mortgage or rent to pay. Otherwise is just is not a living wage.
@Ro Molloy: It’s the national minimum wage. So average cost of living nation wide. As someone on 12.50 in the capital I’d feel a lot better on 15.00
Ireland has always had the ‘Anti-Darwni” syndrome: The survival of the unfittest.
Those ‘go getters’ whom the country could not provide a decent standard of living for have always emigrated and the welfarites have stayed at home. Doesn’t welfare beget welfare and , as such, the culture of welfare is perpetuated!
Its like down here in Aus where we have an inordinate number of people who need specs or contact lenses because those with poor eyesight were not sent to WW1 & 2.
There are social, cultural & genetic determinants to human behaviour and unfortunately
the welfare family provides the trifecta.
Rather than the ” Malthusian Trap”, Ireland has always had the Paddy Poverty Trap” where those fit to work have emigrated and those unfit to work stayed at home thereby
increasing the ratio of welfarites to workers.
This phenomenon has been emphasised post 2008 when hundreds of thousands of young well skilled/educated workers have emigrated and they are being replaced by refugees and economic migrants who are happy to remain on welfare indefinitely
What’s the solution?
You tell me !
@Moorooka Mick:
PS: Is genetic diversity the answer?
Don’t laugh; we have an Indian Taoiseach.
I tink know, definitely knot.
Once all skilled peoples wages goes up as well I don’t have a problem with it
Donal kebab, doesn’t work in USA ,ppl sell their stamps .for drugs,or drink then it’s kids suffering.
Will that not just increase the cost of goods and services and become like chasing a rainbow? Introduce 11.90 living wage and the new living wage becomes 13.00?
And are we going to pretend that 11.90 in rural Ireland is the same as Dublin?
A couple on 11.90 in rural Ireland are far wealthier than a couple in Dublin earning the same. The living wage in Dublin is probably more like 30k / year
@Vin:
We should be worrying about the big business owners and senior management who are taking home 10 times and sometimes 100 times the living wage yet we don’t blink an eyelid when we are told that’s its 5 Euros for the Guinness .(Owned by a foreign beverage conglomerate) I guess working class will always bag the working class; not the bosses and the economic elite. Its a lot safer…..eh?
@Moorooka Mick: Well every action always has an inverse reaction. Increasing corporation tax for large businesses while increasing min wage would increase unemployment and expenditure on welfare.
I support fairness but socialist ideas always ignore the consequences of actions and rely on a magical money tree. Not all work is equal. If you are skilled at making a business money you will be paid more than a labourer
have your say