Facebook News: Japanese Government Orders Company To Improve Data Security

Facebook has been reprimanded by yet another government for not doing enough to protect its users’ data. Japan’s federal data agency told Facebook on Monday that it needs to improve its approach to data security in the wake of multiple high-profile scandals the social network has faced in 2018, according to Reuters.

The Personal Information Protection Commission, established in 2016, ordered Facebook to be more transparent about website security to the public, as well as step up its internal efforts to prevent future data breaches like the large one that occurred in September. In addition, the Japanese commission wants Facebook to tell authorities about security changes.

Facebook said nearly 30 million users could have had their personal information stolen by hackers last month. The social network provided a tool on its security website which allows users to see if their information was compromised.

According to Facebook, the attack was perpetrated by spammers looking for money, not a foreign state.

Additionally, the Cambridge Analytica controversy had also found its way to Japan. The personal data of 87 million users was sold to a right-wing election firm that assisted President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign. Most affected users were in the United States, but the Japanese commission said as many as 100,000 of them could have been in Japan.

The commission said Facebook would respond to its order on Facebook’s Japanese webpage. Facebook is not legally required to comply with any of Japan’s requests.

Facebook has seen its fair share of recent problems, which have been highlighted by the Cambridge Analytica incident. The European Union told Facebook to fully comply with new data regulations by the end of the year, or the company could face sanctions.

In response to Facebook’s data controversies, a group of shareholders signed a proposal to remove CEO and chairman Mark Zuckerberg from the company’s board. The proposal could just be symbolic, as Facebook told International Business Times that a similar proposal was voted down last year.