Jennifer Stoddart, the Canadian privacy commissioner, released a report Thursday critical of aspects of Facebook's privacy policies. The company now has 30 days to comply or it faces a court challenge.
Stoddart's report criticizes Facebook for certain practices, including the open nature of applications and their procurement of personal information. Users can deactivate accounts but aren't directed on how to delete data, she notes. And deactivated accounts' information remains captured indefinitely, a violation of Canadian privacy law.
While Facebook puts privacy issues at the top of its priorities, Stoddart noted it still has work to do to comply with Canadian legislation. Facebook has not indicated it will abide her report. Its spokesman said the company expects to resolve the dispute but isn't convinced the courts would uphold Stoddart's complaints.
Canada is rich terrain for Facebook. With a population of slightly more than 33 million, there are 12 million Canadian Facebook accounts.
