Facebook is ordered to stop tracking Belgian users' surfing outside the social network and delete data it's already gathered, or it will face fines of 250,000 euros a day, a Belgian court ruled.
Facebook "doesn't sufficiently inform" clients about the data it gathers on their broader web use, nor does it explain what it does with the information or say how long it stores it, the Brussels Court of First Instance said in a statement.
Facebook uses cookies, social plug-ins -- the "like" or "share" buttons -- and pixels that are invisible to the naked eye to collect data on people's behavior during their visits to other sites, the court statement says, citing an investigation by Belgium's Privacy Commission that it said it backed fully.
Facebook is also dealing with a German antitrust probe, which is examining whether it unfairly compels users to sign up to restrictive privacy terms.
Facebook argued that a Belgian court couldn't rule on a business headquartered in the U.S. and which runs operations for the rest of the world from its Irish unit.
The company intends to appeal.