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Canadian Group Files Facebook Privacy Complaint

Posted by kdawson on from the up-here-it's-opt-in-eh dept.

bergkamp writes "A Canadian public policy group filed a complaint charging Facebook with 22 separate violations of a Canadian personal information protection law. The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, based at the University of Ottawa, asked the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to investigate what it describes as Facebook's failure to inform members (PDF) how their personal information is disclosed to third parties for advertising and other commercial purposes. The complaint also alleges that Facebook has failed to obtain permission from members for disclosure of their personal information. The claim is that that Facebook violates the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronics Documents Act, which Philippa Lawson, the clinic's director, said is much stricter than US personal information protection laws."

8 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. I don't get it by thermian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Facebook is free, and it's not mandatory.

    It should be obvious to anyone with a level of intelligence higher then a chimp that Facebook shares information, it's an information sharing site!

    If you don't like it, don't use it.

    --
    A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
  2. If you are on facebook and are concerned about by antifoidulus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    privacy, you are doing it wrong.

    --
    Monstar L
    1. Re:If you are on facebook and are concerned about by SBacks · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Facebook is great for keeping up to date on all those people from your past that you care enough to know what they're up to, but not enough to actually talk to them. High school classmates, ex-girlfriends, etc.

      It's the new equivalent of "Hey, did you hear x got married?"

  3. Re:That's nice, and all by value_added · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Borders are a thing of the past.

    LOL.

    Be sure to email Lou Dobbs in case he didn't get the memo.

    While you're at it, be sure to mention that you've found the solution to end all wars, territorial disputes, and cure the rising tide of nationalism in Russia, China, Kossovo and ... well, just about everywhere, and that fans attending football matches the world over can now settle down and share a quiet cup of tea.

  4. Re:That's nice, and all by sm62704 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Borders are a thing of the past.

    Tell that to the Missouri Highway Patol when you cross the Mississippi river from Illinois on your motorcycle when you're not wearning a helmet.

    Yes, borders are a thing of the past. They're also a thing of the present and a thing of the future.

    If Facebook has offices in Canada, servers in Canada, or workers who live in Canada then Canada has a valid point. If not then Facebook can tell Canada to fuck off.

    --
    mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
  5. Re:That's nice, and all by mrbluze · · Score: 4, Insightful

    LOL. In this context (legal action against a website which has a multinational presence), it is becoming more and more apparent that governments don't care where the website comes from. Sure there still are nominal borders but it's not like you can throw rubbish over the neighbour's fence and get away with it so easily on the Internet.
    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
  6. Crazy by hairykrishna · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Facebook is not a good site for the privacy concious. My friend always maintained that the one thing that orwell didn't forsee is that people would pay for and maintain their own cameras.

    --
    "Physics is to math as sex is to masturbation." -R. Feynman
  7. Re:That's nice, and all by CodeBuster · · Score: 3, Insightful

    it is becoming more and more apparent that governments don't care where the website comes from. They might not like it, but there is not much that they can do about it unless they want to cut off trade, end normalized diplomatic relations, or go to war (not really a viable option anymore these days). They can block the website in question, but that will probably be the end of it.

    but it's not like you can throw rubbish over the neighbour's fence and get away with it so easily on the Internet. Sure you can. What are they going to do about it? Facebook is an American corporation with (as far as I know) no business operations in Canada. The Facebook executives just have to avoid entering Canada personally and never invest any capital there. The De Beers diamond cartel thumbed its nose at the United States for decades in just this way and their executives simply avoided visiting the United States. Canada can try and block Facebook, ala the great firewall of China, but that is about it.