TechnesstivityFacebook Faces $138,000 Fine For Holding Deleted Data
Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) has begun auditing Facebook’s offices after a 24 year old law student, Max Schrems asked Facebook for a copy of all his personal data and received a CD including some of his deleted data. Schrems went on to start ‘Europe vs. Facebook’ and filed 22 claims about the social network giant’s practices.
Facebook sending the CD isn’t the problem. Facebook sending Schrems deleted data is the problem. Schrems had personally deleted certain pieces of Data and Facebook isn’t expected to store data after you delete them. If the Irish DPC finds that Facebook has breached its data protection law, it can ask Facebook to change the way it handles personal data or impose a fine of $138,000. Money isn’t the problem in this case, it’s the negative publicity that Facebook needs to worry about.
In early 2009, Facebook changed its Terms of Services giving it the right to use or modify user data as it wants, even if a user deletes their account. As every Facebook change, the change in TOS resulted in a backlash, forcing facebook to go back on its change. Mark Zuckerberg explained in a blog post why Facebook needs to retain copies of user data.
Facebook is currently facing two law suits. One for tracking users after they log out and the other from Timelines.com
Have you personally had problems with Facebook’s privacy settings? Leave us a comment
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