Facebook has added another round of privacy controls, the company announced Thursday. The additional layer of privacy includes both policy and technical changes.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based social network is in the midst of tweaking its privacy policy created to give users a better understanding of their privacy controls and control over personal information accessed by third-party application developers.
“We strongly believe that the changes to the permission model for third-party applications will give users more confidence in platform and will thus help ensure the long-term health and vitality of the ecosystem that has grown around platform,” said Ethan Beard, director of platform product marketing at Facebook. “We will be communicating regularly with developers about the changes, and we’re going to take our time to make sure the outcome is something users understand and that developers have ample time and notice to adapt.”
Facebook’s privacy changes came after the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada began reviewing the social network’s privacy policies and controls. The investigation was triggered by a complaint from the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.
Facebook responded by taking steps to resolve the issue, but the commissioner was still not happy with the risks created by sharing personal information with third-party developers through games and quizzes, according to the commissioner’s office.
“There were some outstanding issues we were seeking resolution on,” said OPC spokesperson Anne-Marie Hayden.
The year-long investigation resulted in the OPC recommending several enhancements to Facebook’s policy.
As a result, Facebook has committed to making changes that include providing users with a better description of why Facebook collects a user’s date of birth; an account memorial for deceased users; the distinction between account deactivation and deletion; and explaining how its advertising programs work.
“We are pleased that they are implementing our recommendations,” Hayden said.
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