Time runs out for Facebook in privacy probe
p2pnet news view Advertising | P2P:- Is social advertising business Fa$ebook defying Jennifer Stoddart, Canada`s federal privacy commissioner?
Exactly 30 days ago today her investigation into the company`s privacy policies and practices was released and, we found serious privacy gaps in the way the site operates, she said in a statement.
It’d followed complaints by the CIPPIC (Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic) after students probed Fa$ebook’s practices, with a particular focus on privacy issues as they relate to Canadian law.
Stoddart’s report concluded with a number of recommendations and she promised to, review after 30 days the actions Facebook takes to comply with the recommendations.
However, the 30 days have been and gone with zero response from Facebook.
Says the executive summary to the investigation »»»
The Complaint
The complaint against Facebook by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) comprised 24 allegations ranging over 12 distinct subjects. These included default privacy settings, collection and use of users` personal information for advertising purposes, disclosure of users` personal information to third-party application developers, and collection and use of non-users` personal information.
The Issues
The central issue in CIPPIC`s allegations was knowledge and consent. Our Office focused its investigation on whether Facebook was providing a sufficient knowledge basis for meaningful consent by documenting purposes for collecting, using, or disclosing personal information and bringing such purposes to individuals` attention in a reasonably direct and transparent way. Retention of personal information was an issue that surfaced specifically in the allegations relating to account deactivation and deletion and non-users` personal information. Security safeguards figured prominently in the allegations about third-party applications and Facebook Mobile.
Findings and Conclusions
On four subjects (e.g., deception and misrepresentation, Facebook Mobile), the Assistant Commissioner found no evidence of any contravention of the Act and concluded that the allegations were not well-founded. On another four subjects (e.g., default privacy settings, advertising), the Assistant Commissioner found Facebook to be in contravention of the Act, but concluded that the allegations were well-founded and resolved on the basis of corrective measures proposed by Facebook in response to her recommendations.
On the remaining subjects of third-party applications, account deactivation and deletion, accounts of deceased users, and non-users` personal information, the Assistant Commissioner likewise found Facebook to be in contravention of the Act and concluded that the allegations were well-founded. In these four cases, there remain unresolved issues where Facebook has not yet agreed to adopt her recommendations. Most notably, regarding third-party applications, the Assistant Commissioner determined that Facebook did not have adequate safeguards in place to prevent unauthorized access by application developers to users` personal information, and furthermore was not doing enough to ensure that meaningful consent was obtained from individuals for the disclosure of their personal information to application developers.
Follow-up
Where well-founded allegations were deemed to be resolved, the Assistant Commissioner notified Facebook that her Office would follow up after 30 days to verify implementation of the proposed corrective measures. Where well-founded allegations remained unresolved, the Assistant Commissioner asked Facebook to reconsider the recommendations in question and gave notice that her Office, in following up on other matters after 30 days, would also check for evidence of acceptance and implementation of those outstanding recommendations or acceptable alternatives.
Stoddart has the power to go to federal court to, seek to have her recommendations enforced.
Will Fa$ebook force that?
Stay tuned.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
August, 2009
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August 15th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I wouldn’t hold my breath.
PrivCom needs teeth. They have none and are toothless.
All Bark.
They let google walk all over people. They let some P.I. firm tell them off and put their privacy policies were the sun don’t shine.
PrivCom has no teeth. Why?
Maybe facebook will be semi-compliant come Monday or sometime next week and PrivCom will be in happy-land.
I hope facebook shows the truth. PrivCom can’t do much.
Besides, didn’t an Ontario judge already rule that an IP and a name associated is not private when Richard Warman sued some Canuk political forum a few months ago?
What are they going to do? Go to court where a ruling of some sort won’t happen for 3 years?
I like them, their work, and what they stand for. Don’t get me wrong. But they are toothless when it comes to anything.
’scuse me while I go brush my tooth now…. which is 1 tooth more than what they have.
August 16th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I’ll ask the same question everyone asks when the US goes after some foriegn corp.
Does Candian Law even apply to Facebook?
And even if that, remember, even if facebook’s current owners keep the strickest privacy rules, any day they could sell out to some company who will take your stuff as its own.
August 16th, 2009 at 11:50 am
ya know i have a lot of friends in the us of a and i care about most.but us companies and there form of we are the world so,what we say goes and everything else can be ignored is ?pure unaduterated crap! and yet we just accept it as the norm,cause if we don’t it will cost us some where some cash!i guess i could be calssed as being guilty as all the rest of us,maybe,i’m not surethey get there hooks into us with there lil pissy programs and then we’er hooked! how sad we’ve becomewe used tobe a proud standup to country,but now,well the face book crap is a perfect example of uf being like all the restof the world.i use it(oh,a lest once or twice a month)and so i guess that makes me as guilty as the rest of the world,but why do they wave there crotch in the face of the rest of the world and we drop to our knees for them ??prime example,with our government and and the legal downloading of music in this country.the Corps to the south will i’m sure ,unless we can form a heavy duty back lash against our (government?)caveinto the movie studios and recrd bunch.i don’t have the answersbut i can question. oh so what’s next? our artic?the place no one wanted , till the ice started to melt?i’m sorry but i reALLY THINK IT’S TIME WE GREW SOME BALLS BACK.oops sorry didn’t mean for it to change to a holler,or a rant! funny how one can slide into that without being aware you have till you start to read back . mornin’ Jon! hope your well and good. and as always thanks for putting up with my?commenting? you have a good sunday ya hear,and be well!!
August 16th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I don’t understand that the image and throughout the article there’s reference to Fa$ebook whereas the actual correct spelling withing of Facebook is found in direct quotes. Is there some issue around legalities in using the actual name of the site?
August 16th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Of course canadian law applies to facebook. Where were you schooled? Does Facebook operate on Canadian soil? If so then the company has no choice to abide by the laws in the country it operates. That is like saying does McDonald’s have to follow Canadian business laws because they are an American company. Get your head out your ass
August 16th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
They should fine Facebook for everyday they do not comply, this might get them moving on it.
Also, the harper gov could use the money since they ran the pot dry.
August 16th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Privacy legislation in this country is subjective and matter of official opinion. It’s best described as interpreting religious scripture, with no established sanctions for non-conformity. As incorrect as it sounds, the censorship of FB from Canadian networks might get a response from FB. In probably the largest per-capita market for FB, it cannot make money for them here if it cannot be accessed.
August 16th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
@Beavermonk .. you pointed out the problem yourself: “Does Facebook operate on Canadian soil?”
Does it? Are the servers on Canadian soil? Does Facebook have a physical canadian presence?
What does the Canadian law say about ‘virtual companies’, if anything? (And how those can that be enforced in other countries?)
I.E. When you go to a web page, are they operating on your soil (they come to you)? Or are you operating on alternate soil (you’re going to them)? Bigger problems if the Company is in Land X the servers in land Y and the user in Z.
No ass de heading required.
August 16th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
The fact that I cannot permanently DELETE my facebook account concerns me. Every time I see a link that says I can, it sends me to facebook and I cannot delete, just re-activate. I’ve deleted everything in there but the account remains just in case I want it again and it shouldn’t.
August 16th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I have 2 examples of Facebookâs integrity and deceit; first I received a message from Facebook saying a friend of mine accepted a friend as per my suggestions. The problem with this is that I never suggest friends and second the person she accepted is not even a friend of mine. But wait, it gets worse, my son passed away in mid December and I along with family members continue to get notices 8 months later that âJoe may be attending this event, are you going?â. I also get notes from friends and family saying they get notices that Iâm attending events. I NEVER attend events and delete any request I get.
As for operating in Canada under Canadian laws, the system can be set up that if you try to run Facebook from Canada it can deny you service. Just try typing http://www.google.com and see where you end up, it will always send you to http://www.google.ca therefore Facebook could do the same.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:43 am
@joe’s dad,
That wouldn’t work.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Woof.
Facebook must satisfy Canada’s privacy commissioner by Monday
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Facebook+must+satisfy+Canada+privacy+commissioner+Monday/1899277/story.html
OTTAWA — Time is up for Facebook to find a way to live up to Canada’s privacy law after this country’s privacy watchdog gave the social-networking website one month to close its “serious privacy gaps.”
A spokeswoman for the commission said it’s premature to say whether the feud will end up in court.
Bark, bark. Woof, woof.
Stoddart will spend the intervening days reviewing Facebook’s response, said spokeswoman Anne-Marie Hayden.
“The next step now is to review what steps they’re taking, but we remain quite hopeful and it’s going very well,” she said.
Bark, bark. Woof, woof.
And if Jennifer Stoddart, Canada’s privacy commissioner, isn’t satisfied with Facebook’s final response Monday, she has two weeks to take the California-based company to Federal Court in Ottawa to try and get a court order requiring it to change its business practices to comply with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, the country’s private-sector privacy law.
.
.
I think Google should film everyone in that clown office and put it up on google maps listed under clown school. I bet google is even laughing at this and them while they monetize on every Canadians privacy while the clownschool shrugged them off because they don’t have the money and skill to fight them.
âscuse me while I go brush my tooth again… Which is one more than what they have.