Facebook violates privacy laws

[Michael]

Facebook breaches Canadian privacy law: commissioner

Facebook shares its users' personal information with developers who create games and quizzes in a way that breaches Canadian privacy law, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has found.

The popular social networking site, which is used by 12 million Canadians and 200 million people worldwide, also keeps personal information indefinitely after users deactivate their accounts, contrary to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, says the report released Thursday by assistant privacy commissioner Elizabeth Denham.

The office's main concern was that users could not always give "meaningful consent" to the use of their personal information due to a lack of transparency on the site.

"We found that, although Facebook provides information about privacy issues, it is often confusing or incomplete," Denham said at a news conference.

Users should be able to opt out of actions that could lead them to lose control over their personal information, she added. In some cases, that information could then be used for marketing purposes or even identity theft.


Source (http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/07/16/facebook-privacy-commissioner.html)

Apparently Facebook has thirty days to respond to this finding of the Canadian Privacy Commissioner.

Canada has some fairly strong laws to protect the privacy of individuals against corporations using that information without expressed permission.

There are a whole variety of legal tools at the disposal of the Canadian Government here. If Facebook challenges this finding in Canadian Courts and loses, they can be faced with 'cease and desist' orders and/or heavy fines.

It is expected that Facebook will do everything possible to avoid being convicted of privacy violations here as that would likely have a strong ripple effect across other nations with similarly strong privacy laws on the books.

So, do you think Facebook violates your privacy? Should the government be regulating this kind of thing?

[partofme]

Source (http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/07/16/facebook-privacy-commissioner.html)

Apparently Facebook has thirty days to respond to this finding of the Canadian Privacy Commissioner.

Canada has some fairly strong laws to protect the privacy of individuals against corporations using that information without expressed permission.

There are a whole variety of legal tools at the disposal of the Canadian Government here. If Facebook challenges this finding in Canadian Courts and loses, they can be faced with 'cease and desist' orders and/or heavy fines.

It is expected that Facebook will do everything possible to avoid being convicted of privacy violations here as that would likely have a strong ripple effect across other nations with similarly strong privacy laws on the books.

So, do you think Facebook violates your privacy? Should the government be regulating this kind of thing?


I use Facebook and it doesn't bother me personally. I'm curious as to what would happen if Facebook blocked Canadian users. I don't like the idea of that at all but then again I'm not sure I think they should change the format of their site either. :shrug:

[Michael]

I use Facebook and it doesn't bother me personally. I'm curious as to what would happen if Facebook blocked Canadian users. I don't like the idea of that at all but then again I'm not sure I think they should change the format of their site either. :shrug:

I think Facebook will respond with more overt and explicit disclaimers stating exactly what Facebook's rights are. That would be the best solution all around.

I agree that most Facebook users are probably comfortable (or don't object) to Facebook's usage of data. But the fact of the matter is, Facebook is doing stuff with personal information without explicit permission and that's where the Canadian privacy laws are concerned.

And Canada is not the only western country with consumer-protection privacy laws on the books. Canada is only the leading edge of the wedge here. Facebook is almost certain to make the necessary changes to comply fully with the Canadian privacy laws in order to prevent a chain reaction of other nations filing similar legal initiatives.

[The Drunk Guy]

My understanding, and I may very well be incorrect, is that only advertisers on Facebook get information as it pertains to individuals who follow certain links. However, Facebook does sell demographic data, leaving participants anonymous, to companies and advertising firms.

[dannydesiliva]

The government of Canada can take quite a few approaches to making like rather challenging for people who do not want to provide information on a FIF (financial information form). There is a lot of proof that substantiates this. Law firms who sue for the government can demand that a borrower supply them with their spouse's information so they can determine if the loan can be repaid based on spousal income. If the borrower and spouse refuse to give that information, then the legal agent can proceed to execution of whichever enforcement method is most suitable. So, when the government requests financial information from borrowers, and the borrowers do not comply, they escalate the matter.
Question for Ottawa Girl - Could this be interpreted as any form of coercion?

[Michael]

As far as I know, Facebook did agree to fully comply with Canadian privacy laws and have enacted the necessary changes to make Facebook comply with Canadian privacy laws. In Canada, is legally necessary for Facebook to have your explicit permission before sharing any information about you with anyone.

I understand these changes are universal to all Facebook users. It really was as simple as ensuring that the user has the option to "opt-out" of such features.

[Evangeline]

My AVG virus scanner destroys the tracking cookies that facebook keeps trying to give me. It's constantly notifying me as I navigate around facebook....