Facebook leaking private information

A Canadian privacy group has filed a complaint against the social networking site Facebook accusing it of violating privacy laws. The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic has listed 22 separate breaches of privacy law in its country. Clinic director Phillipa Lawson said that, with more than seven million users in Canada, "Facebook needs to be held publicly accountable". Facebook rejects the charge, claiming some of the highest standards around. The complaint, filed with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, states that Facebook collects sensitive information about its users and shares it without their permission. It goes on to say that the company does not alert users about how that information is being used and does not adequately destroy user data after accounts are closed. Minefield "Social networking online is proving to be a tremendous tool for community-building and social change, but at the same time, a minefield of privacy invasion,” said Lawson. The 35-page action was lodged after students at the clinic analysed the company's policies and practices as part of a course this past winter and identified specific practices that appeared to violate the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Pipeda). Harley Finkelstein, 24 and a Facebook user for the past three years, said, “Some 14-year-old kid might not know that privacy settings exist or how to take advantage of them or appreciate the ramifications of having their private information disclosed to third parties." 'Industry leading controls' In a statement, Facebook said: "We pride ourselves on the industry leading controls we offer users over their private information. We believe that this is an important reason that nearly 40% of Canadians on the internet use our service. “ Finkelstein however said, “Even if you select the strongest privacy settings, your information may be shared more widely if your Facebook Friends have lower privacy settings. "We're concerned that Facebook is deceiving its users," said newly signed-up Facebook user Lisa Feinberg, another law student behind the complaint. "Facebook promotes itself as a social utility, but it's also involved in commercial activities like targeted advertising. Facebook users need to know that when they're signing up to Facebook, they're signing up to share their information with advertisers, “she said. Publicly accountable The Canadian Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, has a year to act on the CIPPC's complaint. The commissioner's office focuses on negotiation to resolve privacy disputes, but it can seek court injunctions if that fails to resolve the issues. "Our experience is it gets dragged out and they might make a few changes but they are making representations about their privacy controls and they need to be held accountable. That would be difficult if we did it through private conversations," said Lawson. Facebook said, "We look forward to working with Commissioner Stoddart to set the record straight and will continue our ongoing efforts to educate users and the public around privacy controls on the site.” Shot across bows Facebook has been accused of crossing the line over privacy issues in the past. Earlier this year, however, the Silicon Valley start-up introduced new tools it said would let users have greater control over their privacy, such as letting only certain groups of friends see their photos and other personal information. The director of the CIPPC sees their complaint as a shot across the bows of all social networking sites. Source: BBC

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