Facebook’s Sandberg Gently Warns Europe About Privacy Rules

Concerned about privacy? Maybe you should be concerned about the economy instead. That was the subtext of a keynote speech by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, at a technology conference in the heart of Europe.

Sandberg’s remarks at the Digital Life Design conference in Munich came as the European Commission prepares to release a draft of a strict privacy regulation that stands to affect companies like Facebook. The law would apply across the 27 countries of the European Union and restrict the way Internet companies can gather, use and retain the volumes of personal data that their users post online. Sandberg’s remarks offered a glimpse into the argument that global technology companies doing business in Europe are expected to raise against the looming data protection regulation: Internet companies create jobs and spur growth, and governments struggling with economic crises should not stand in their way.