People issuing invitations to events via Facebook may be guilty of criminal offenses under Finnish law. Organized public gatherings require permits from local police, which are often not sought for events put together through social media.
Police consider such gatherings as falling within a grey zone, as present legal statutes do not cover all aspects of events organized online.
However, any event held in a public place is subject to a requirement for advance notification to the authorities. This is something that is often ignored.
"To a large extent, it's a matter of ignorance for most and some clearly don't care about the bureaucratic part. They don't care about anything other than getting a party together," says Sergeant Mikko Manninen of the Helsinki Police Department's online unit.
YLE