July 5, 2010 by Alexei M
In the wake of much controversy surrounding social media giant Facebook’s privacy settings, the firm has made some amendments to the site to increase data protection. Many industry experts have criticised Facebook for the way it handles member information, suggesting that the site is mismanaging the privacy of its users.
In an effort to address its critics, Facebook has altered the settings on user profiles, which means that applications now have to obtain specific permission to obtain and utilise personal information about users. The new measures will apply to any games or applications which a member has on their profile. With over 70% of Facebook users accessing third-party applications on their profile, this is a significant step in moving towards tighter privacy controls.
Facebook has been working with the Canadian Privacy Commissioner since 2009 to assess their role in protecting member’s profiles and personal data. In May this year, the site was pushed in to changing their settings in response to concerns aired by members.
The changes will be viewed positively by the many critics who have taken issue with the site’s use and control of personal information. Bret Taylor from Facebook commented: “With this new authorisation process, when you log into an application with your Facebook account, the application will only be able to access the public parts of your profile by default. To access the private sections of your profile, the application has to explicitly ask for your permission.”
Now, every time a Facebook member installs an application through their Facebook account, they will be asked to complete a permissions box. Facebook hosts over 550,000 third-party applications including games. The site has now consolidated a number of privacy settings in one area of the site, making privacy options much more accessible, transparent and easy to implement.
Related posts:
