Facebook Breached Canadian Privacy Laws, Watchdogs Say

Privacy watchdogs are accusing Facebook of "serious contraventions of Canadian privacy laws" in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. From a report: In a joint report released Thursday, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia said the Menlo Park, California-based technology giant didn't obtain proper consent from users to disclose their personal data, didn't have adequate safeguards to protect that data and didn't take proper responsibility for the information under its control. "Facebook's refusal to act responsibly is deeply troubling given the vast amount of sensitive personal information users have entrusted to this company," Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien said in a news release. "Their privacy framework was empty, and their vague terms were so elastic that they were not meaningful for privacy protection." Therrien's office plans to take the matter to Federal Court to "seek an order to force the company to correct its privacy practices," according to the release.

Send Zuckerberg and Sandberg to prison

[WCMI92]

But they never will.

Too rich.

Too leftist.

Anyone surprised?

[alvinrod]

Is anyone really surprised? I think you might be hard pressed to find a country whose privacy laws Facebook hasn't violated at this point.

Re:

[bobbied]

For Hackers In Soviet Russia... Facebook doesn't violate your privacy.... You violate Facebook's....

Another fine?

[bobbied]

So, they are going to have to pull another Billion out of Petty cash now?

Oh, sorry, it's Canadian dollars, it's only $750 Million this time..

What about the privacy breach from CSIS snooping?

[Anonymous Coward]

Still less privacy breach than the Canadian NSA (CSIS)

Times to break FB

[grumpy-cowboy]

Governments:
- Fines them BILLIONS $$$ (US, Canada, EU, ...)
- Force them to split (no more sharing between FB, Instagram, Messenger, ...)

Us:
- Use alternative like any Fediverse distributed platforms (stop using centralized/single-controlled platforms)
- STOP sharing you entire life to everyone on the Internet
- Go outside and leave your phone/computer inside!!!

I'm not the only one thinking this is dumbtastic?

[I-am-a-Banana]

We do not pay for Facebook. They are offering a service, image and video storage, communication and other services at no cost to us. Why? Because we are paying with our data. I can't be the only one out there that knew that everything they do or say, or become friends with is data I am sharing with Facebook. I had no expectations that Facebook would keep the stuff private. My expectations of privacy is that not any Joe Blow could just click my name and see all my gory details. But I knew they would data mi

Re:

[grumpy-cowboy]

You means something like this: Facebook 'Unintentionally Uploaded' Email Contacts From 1.5M Users https://tech.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]

Re:

[I-am-a-Banana]

Yes but if you have given Facebook your email address and password to said email account then what do you expect? It is like giving the key and address to your home to a complete stranger and saying "I trust you not to go into my home and take anything." Facebook has my email address, because I needed one to setup and confirm my account. I never, ever, provided them my password.

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[sinij]

I also don't pay for burgles, does it mean it is acceptable to walk away with my TV? Because I am paying for burgling services with my TV?

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[I-am-a-Banana]

Completely wrong argument here. It would be more like going to burgler, giving them a bunch of your stuff and asking them to keep it safe and not do anything with it.

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[mark-t]

That's all very well and good, but it doesn't absolve Facebook for breaking the law.

In addition to the fine, they can choose to either comply with Canadian law, or ultimately cease doing business in Canada.

I'm sure that the Canadian market is probably not important enough for them to care, so I'm expecting the latter, which would be a win for Canada, as far as I'm concerned.

Talking heads

[mrobinso]

Nothing but federal talking-head puppetry. The federal privacy commission is a joke. Our tenant association filed a complaint last year for cameras installed in our buildings that peer into apartments and the laundry room, places where there's more than a reasonable expectation of privacy. Our corporate landlord had no privacy policy, no privacy officer, nothing. A copy of the complaint went to the landlord. The response to our complaint from the government was "take it up with the privacy officer of the co

Obligatory Canada Joke

[chiefcrash]

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien apologized to Facebook for the inconvenience....

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Not all Canadians are alike. *This* Canadian says fuck Facebook. Ban the entire domain from the country. Suddenly productivity may pick up again.

This is correct

[WillAffleckUW]

Shut FB down.

Again, why should the penalty for breaking....

[mark-t]

.... the law in a jurisdiction *ever* be low enough that it can be a "cost of doing business".

I recently met with a guy who happened to casually mention that the fines he gets for driving in an HOV lane on the freeway while he is alone in the car are an acceptable cost of doing business for him...

What the fuck is wrong with people?

Do we have to threaten to throw people into prison just to get them to fucking comply with the law, or what?

Re:

[mark-t]

And what, I wonder, does the privacy commission think of the Liberal government's plan to ingest financial data from Equifax without consent?

Citation, please?

Say it isn't so!

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

"Facebook Breached Canadian Privacy Laws"

My goodness, that certainly is shocking and completely unexpected news, considering what a stellar and unblemished track record Facecrap has when it comes to ethical behavior.