Facebook Privacy Policy Changes: FTC Evaluating If New Language Violates 2011 Agreement
Facebook exists in a gray area between being a communication medium and advertising platform. Facebook struck a deal in 2011 with the Federal Trade Commission that established that it would provide advance notice to users before it made any changes regarding its policies.
Facebook announced last month that it would change language in its privacy policy regarding information that advertisers can use from user profiles, and now the FTC is evaluating if Facebook had broken the deal.
According to Facebook, the changes are aimed to clarify that by signing up for Facebook, users agree to let advertisers use their profile pictures, names and information about things they “like.” Facebook is also proposing a new feature called “Tag Suggest,” which uses facial recognition technology to match pictures with public Facebook profiles.
Facebook has not officially implemented the changes yet, and the FTC has not launched an official investigation yet.
“As in all cases, we’re monitoring compliance with the order and part of that involves interacting with Facebook,” Peter Kaplan, an FTC spokesperson, told Reuters.
Facebook maintains that it has not made any changes to its privacy policy, it is just changing language to make its policies clearer. The changes come just days after Facebook reached a multimillion-dollar settlement that claimed Facebook used user information for ads without notifying them.
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