Facebook changes privacy policy

Not that I’m a fan of facebook, but protection of personal data is very important.  Check out this article about facebook and some new rules.

Social networking site Facebook has agreed to change its privacy policy as a result of negotiations with Canada’s privacy commissioner.

Last month the site was found to be in breach of Canadian law by by holding on to users’ personal data indefinitely.

Facebook has now agreed to make changes to the way it collects and handles this information.

It will also make it clear to users that they have the option of either deactivating or deleting their account.

“These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected,” said Canadian privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.

“We’re very pleased Facebook has been responsive to our recommendations.”

Facebook has said work on the changes will begin immediately but they would take around 12 months to implement.

The regulator first started its investigation as a result of complaints by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa.

Canada has around 12 million Facebook users, more than one in three of the population.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.