Canadian Group Charges that Facebook Violates Privacy Laws
Complaint seeks review of social network rules by Canadian Privacy Commissioner.
"They are failing to notify users of the advertising uses of their information," Lawson said. "We don't think that social ads are an essential part of the Facebook services. They are failing to get express consent from users for the sharing of sensitive information."
The organization also noted that third-party applications on Facebook violate Canadian law. If a user wants to use a third-party application they have to agree to share their personal information with the application developer, according to the complaint. Canadian law says that organizations cannot collection more information than they need for their specific core operations, Lawson added.
This is not the first time Facebook has faced criticism from privacy advocates. The firm came under withering criticism last year when a security researcher revealed that Facebook's ad system tracked user activities on third-party sites even when users had deactivated their accounts or weren't signed onto the site.
The Canadian privacy commissioner has one year to review the complaint before making recommendations about what changes—if any—should be made. However, the commissioner does not have enforcement authority. Lawson said her group is waiting to hear what the commissioner recommends before considering ratcheting up their concerns to a court, which would then have enforcement authority.
Jeffrey Chester, founder and executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy in the U.S., said the Canadian organizations "has lifted the veil that covers Facebook's extensive personal data collection apparatus." His group late last year asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether advertising initiatives by Facebook and MySpace adequately protect consumer privacy.
'Perhaps the Privacy `Mounties'—the Canadian Privacy Commission—can force Facebook to truly protect the privacy of its users," Chester said. "The complaint details how Facebook permits outside applications—such as data spying widgets—to collect details about users, all without their consent, let alone awareness. It's a giant privacy wake-up call about Facebook from our friends up North."
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