AfterDawn: News

New Facebook privacy settings are 'unacceptable,' says group

Facebook, the second most viewed website in the United States, has increasingly seen criticism for the way it handles privacy matters and today the new setting changes have been deemed "unacceptable" by EU data protection authorities.

The authority, the Article 29 Working Party wrote in a letter that the new changes are "detrimental to the user."



The default settings, changed in the last month, made it so every user is searchable by search engines, even if the user does not explicitly sign off on it.

Third party applications can also take data from the profiles and use it to bring more personalized ads, but the group says that also should be explicitly signed off on by the user.

Finally, the group says "that it would breach data protection law if they use personal data contained on an individual profile page for commercial purposes without consent."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 May 2010 15:29

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• 6 comments

• philixir

  If you are overly concerned about your privacy, then you shouldn't be on Facebook in the first place. Nuff Said.

  13.5.2010 08:03 #1

• dEwMe

  Originally posted by philixir: If you are overly concerned about your privacy, then you shouldn't be on Facebook in the first place. Nuff Said. EXACTLY!!!
  
  

  Just my $0.02,
  
  dEwMe
  

  13.5.2010 15:21 #2

• WierdName

  Originally posted by philixir: If you are overly concerned about your privacy, then you shouldn't be on Facebook in the first place. Nuff Said. Umm, no. If you are overly concerned about your privacy, you shouldn't have a blog/website. One of the things with Facebook is that it's supposed to allow for a degree of privacy for those that would prefer to keep everything between family and immediate friends. Facebook is not solely a vanity Myspace page. It allows people to privately socialize in addition to open, public socialization. Just because you sign up for Facebook doesn't mean you're an 'everyone-look-at-me' person.
  
  EDIT- though with all the annoying games on there, it doesn't mean you're necessarily mature either...
  

  Doesnt expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected and therefore mean youre expecting the expected which was the unexpected until you expected it?
  "Opinions are immunities to being told were wrong." - Relient K

  13.5.2010 16:48 #3

• damncrap

  Facebook will drive itself into the ground if it continues this path. They will become the next commonly used Myspace quote "what? People still use that?"

  13.5.2010 17:31 #4

• manolet

  Yep, I wouldn't want to be in facebook if all confidential info about myself is made public. Wasn't there a choice to give this info to only whomever I chose to give it before signing up?
  

  14.5.2010 01:10 #5

• xboxdvl2

  I'm on facebook and people can do a google search and find my page but all my wall posts are protected not too sure about my personal info not alot on there really.if someone really wants to find out personal information about you they will find out anyway.I've even seen websites offering to find out everything about a person for a fee.if you dont want any personally information about you being know dont have a passport,dont get a drivers licence,dont get government benefits or free healthcare,dont register for anything and buy everything in cash.its the only way to be sure no one can find out anything about you.
  

  PS2 with 12 games.
  pc-windows 7,intel core quad Q8400,4 Gb ddr2,WD 500 GB hdd,ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics,AOC 22inch LCD moniter.

  14.5.2010 06:34 #6