European regulators are investigating whether posting photos, videos and other information about people on websites such as Facebook without their consent is a breach of privacy laws.
The Swiss and German probes go to the heart of a debate that has gained momentum in Europe amid high-profile privacy cases - to what extent are social networking platforms responsible for the content their members upload?
The investigation set the stage for a fresh battle between U.S. internet giants and European authorities a month after an Italian court held three Google executives criminally responsible for a user-posted video.
Any changes resulting from the investigations could drastically alter the way Facebook, Google's YouTube and others operate, shifting the responsibility for ensuring personal privacy from users to the company.
Swiss and German data protection commissioners are demanding that Facebook explain its practice of allowing users to upload email addresses, photographs and other personal details about people who haven't signed up to the site.
'The way it's organised at the moment, they simply allow anyone who wants to use this service to say they have the consent of their friends or acquaintances,' Swiss commissioner Hanspeter Thuer said.
To conform with Switzerland's strict privacy law, Facebook could be required to contact people whose information has been posted online and ask them whether they agree to its being stored there
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