Facebook changes privacy policy, asks for user comments

Social networking giant Facebook has submitted changes to its privacy agreements to its 300 million-strong user base, in order to gain feedback about the specific alterations.

The company wrote in an official blog post that users will have until 5 November next week to submit their proposals about what should or shouldn’t be included in the new policy.

“This is the next step in our ongoing effort to run Facebook in an open and transparent way,” vice president of communications and public policy Elliot Schrage wrote. “After the comment period is over, we’ll review your feedback and update you on our next steps.”

The changes come after the Canadian privacy commissioner released a report that stated Facebook was violating the privacy of its users without permission by allowing their data to be included in third-party applications used on the site.

Schrage wrote in the blog post that some of the privacy changes put forward to the user base were designed as a result of that report’s findings.
“In this revision, we’re fulfilling our commitment to the privacy commissioner of Canada to update our privacy policy to better describe a number of practices,” he said.

“Specifically, we’ve included sections that further explain the privacy setting you can choose to make your content viewable by everyone.”
The changes to the privacy policy now clarify the difference between “deactivating” and “deleting” an account, after claims the site allows a user’s data to be found even after they have requested their account to be closed down.

Schrage wrote Facebook will save profile information about a user, such as friend lists and photographs, after the account is deactivated but that material will not be viewable by users. Information from a deleted account could be viewable on other users’ pages if that content was shared and copied by a “friend”.

“However, your name will no longer be associated with that information on Facebook,” it said, and will be attributed to an “anonymous Facebook user”.

Schrage also wrote that information will not be distributed to advertisers.