The federal privacy commissioner made clear recently that Facebook was sharing too much personal information with third-party operations and concluded it contravened Canada's private-sector privacy law.
Jennifer Stoddart recommended changes that many thought would evaporate, given that there were few immediate options available beyond moral suasion. Court action, which she threatened as soon as next week, would take some time to reach effective conclusions. In the social media world, even a short time is a long leash.
But today Facebook agreed to comply with many measures, largely aimed at curtailing the degree of information accessed when users consent to quizzes and other games. The measures also compel Facebook to eliminate personal information of deactivated accounts.
The reformation of its approaches will take up to a year and be reviewed for compliance. The decision today is a first for Facebook, which faced its first-ever court action.
Jennifer Stoddart recommended changes that many thought would evaporate, given that there were few immediate options available beyond moral suasion. Court action, which she threatened as soon as next week, would take some time to reach effective conclusions. In the social media world, even a short time is a long leash.
But today Facebook agreed to comply with many measures, largely aimed at curtailing the degree of information accessed when users consent to quizzes and other games. The measures also compel Facebook to eliminate personal information of deactivated accounts.
The reformation of its approaches will take up to a year and be reviewed for compliance. The decision today is a first for Facebook, which faced its first-ever court action.
