Popular Social Networking Site Tries to Save Face Amidst Students’ Privacy Complaints
It seems as though no one ever has anything good to say about Facebook. Unfortunately this news post is no different. According to the Canadian Press, four University of Ottawa Students have a lodged a complaint with the federal privacy commissioner regarding the popular social networking site.
Harley Finkelstein, 24, and Jordan Plener, 25, are among the group of law students who allege that Facebook breaches Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). The students say that the website does not properly inform users that their personal data may be made privy to third parties.
Chris Kelly, Facebook’s chief privacy officer refuted these claims, saying that the students were neglecting the fact that most personal information present on Facebook is willingly shared. He says their misinterpretation of PIPEDA has them effectively calling the voluntary sharing of personal information as being illegal.
Anne-Marie Hayden, spokeswoman for the federal privacy commissioner’s office, says that they are taking the matter seriously and expects Facebook to cooperate with their pending investigation.
Under law, the privacy commissioner has up to one year to investigate the complaint and make recommendations. The office plans to launch a website next week dedicated to educating youth about privacy on the Internet.
Read the full article here: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hPexT3-FpHLlzIprdQQWCS8rQdyg
