To date, Facebook is perhaps the most successful and widespread social networking site. It has transcended age and race, and practically everyone I know has an account. It has so much to offer, hence the amount of time that the average person spends on Facebook has skyrocketed in the past months. Even businesses and employers use Facebook to make their presence felt online!
But in spite of the allure and usefulness of Facebook, it does have some security issues. All the information that one enters can be accessed by the site AND its third party partners. With each application a user “allows,” his information is accessed, probably even shared with others. Unless a user changes the default privacy settings, practically anyone can access his information. This is something that not everyone really thinks about.
But the Canadian government found these issues important. In fact, the pressured Facebook to create some changes with regard to security. Thanks to them, several tweaks have been enacted. PCWorld featured this move and outlined the fixes.
One, Facebook had to fix the way applications access users data:
Apps will have to tell the user what information it wants and get express consent from the user beforehand. Information will be split into categories, which the user can check off before installing. Developers will also have to explain how that personal data will be used.
Two, what happens to a user’s information if he deactivates his account?
Users will be given an option to either deactivate or delete their accounts. Upon deactivation, they’ll be notified of the option to delete, and can elect to do so should they want all their data gone for good.
Three, what will happen to your account if you die?
Facebook will explain in its privacy policy what happens to an account after its owner passes away.
My thoughts – one and two are quite valid. Three, I am not so sure. You’ll be dead, why would you care? In any case, I wonder if Facebook will apply these fixes to the whole system or just for their Canadian users?