Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY
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A24    TECHNOLOGY
                   Thursday 5 april 2018
            Facebook revamps privacy policy in heels of scandal




            By BARBARA ORTUTAY                                                                                                  with looser privacy laws —
            AP Technology Writer                                                                                                such as the U.S., for exam-
            NEW  YORK  (AP)  —  Face-                                                                                           ple.  Facebook  has  always
            book's  new  privacy  policy                                                                                        had regional differences in
            aims  to  explain  the  data                                                                                        policies, and the new doc-
            it  gathers  on  users  more                                                                                        ument makes that clearer.
            clearly — but doesn't actu-                                                                                         The new policy also makes
            ally change what it collects                                                                                        it  clear  that  WhatsApp
            and shares.                                                                                                         and  Instagram  are  part  of
            The company unveiled the                                                                                            Facebook  and  abide  by
            revisions  Wednesday  as  it                                                                                        the same privacy policy as
            faces  one  of  its  worst  pri-                                                                                    their parent. The two were
            vacy scandals in history. Al-                                                                                       not  mentioned  in  the  pre-
            though Facebook says the                                                                                            vious  policy.  While  What-
            changes  aren't  prompted                                                                                           sApp still doesn't show ad-
            by recent events or tighter                                                                                         vertisements,   Instagram
            privacy  rules  coming  from                                                                                        long  has,  and  the  policy
            the  EU,  it's  an  opportune                                                                                       consolidation  could  be  a
            time. CEO Mark Zuckerberg                                                                                           sign  of  things  to  come  for
            is  also  set  to  testify  before                                                                                  WhatsApp as well.
            Congress next week for the                                                                                          Other  changes  incorpo-
            first time.                                                                                                         rate  some  of  the  restric-
            As Facebook evolved from                                                                                            tions  Facebook  previously
            a closed, Harvard-only net-                                                                                         announced on what third-
            work with no ads to a giant                                                                                         party  apps  can  collect
            corporation  with  $40  bil-                                                                                        from users and their friends.
            lion  in  advertising  revenue                                                                                      For  example,  Facebook
            and  huge  subsidiaries  like                                                                                       says  it  will  remove  devel-
            Instagram  and  WhatsApp,                                                                                           opers'  access  to  people's
            its  privacy  policy  has  also                                                                                     data  if  the  person  has
            shifted — over and over.                                                                                            not  used  the  app  in  three
            Almost  always,  critics  say,   In this June 24, 2016, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Global Entrepreneur Sum-  months.  Access  by  apps
            the  changes  meant  a       mit at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.                                         is  under  scrutiny  following
            move  away  from  protect-                                                                         Associated Press  allegations  that  political
            ing  user  privacy  toward                                                                                          consulting  firm  Cambridge
            pushing    openness    and  collects  people's  contact  were  surprised  to  learn  re-  Facebook  also  adds  clari-  Analytica  improperly  ob-
            more sharing. On the other  information  if  they  choose  cently  that  Facebook  had  fication  that  local  laws  tained  data  on  millions  of
            hand,  regulatory  and  user  to  "upload,  sync  or  im-  been  collecting  informa-  could  affect  what  it  does  Facebook users through an
            pressure  has  sometimes  port" this to the service. This  tion about whom they text-  with  "sensitive"  data  on  app  that  claimed  to  be  a
            led Facebook to pull back  may include users' address  ed  or  called  and  for  how  people,  such  as  informa-   research tool.
            on  its  data  collection  and  books  on  their  phones,  as  long,  though  not  the  ac-  tion about a user's race or  The policy changes come a
            use  and  to  explain  things  well  as  their  call  logs  and  tual  contents  of  text  mes-  ethnicity,  health,  political  week after Facebook gave
            in  plainer  language  —  in  text histories. The new poli-  sages.  It  seemed  to  have  views  or  even  trade  union  its privacy settings a make-
            contrast  to  dense  legal-  cy says Facebook may use  been done without explicit  membership. This and other  over. The company tried to
            ese from many other inter-   this data to help "you and  consent, though Facebook  information, the new policy  make it easier to navigate
            net  companies.  Among  others find people you may  says it collected such data  states, "could be subject to  its complex and often con-
            Wednesday's       changes:  know."  The  previous  policy  only  from  Android  users  special  protections  under  fusing privacy and security
            Facebook  has  added  a  did not mention call logs or  who  specifically  allowed  the  laws  of  your  country."  settings, though the make-
            section  explaining  that  it  text  histories.  Several  users  it  to  do  so  —  for  instance,  But it means the company  over  didn't  change  what
                                                                      by agreeing to permissions  is  unlikely  to  apply  stricter  Facebook  collects  and
                                                                      when installing Facebook.    protections  to  countries  shares either.
                                                                                                                                Those  who  followed  Face-
                                                                                                                                book's  privacy  gaffes  over
                                                                                                                                the years may feel a sense
                                                                                                                                of  familiarity.  Over  and
                                                                                                                                over,  the  company  —  of-
                                                                                                                                ten  Zuckerberg  —  owned
                                                                                                                                up  to  missteps  and  prom-
                                                                                                                                ised  changes.  In  2009,  the
                                                                                                                                company announced that
                                                                                                                                it was consolidating six pri-
                                                                                                                                vacy pages and more than
                                                                                                                                30  settings  on  to  a  single
                                                                                                                                privacy  page.  Yet,  some-
                                                                                                                                how, the company said last
                                                                                                                                week that users still had to
                                                                                                                                go to 20 different places to
                                                                                                                                access  all  of  their  privacy
                                                                                                                                controls and it was chang-
                                                                                                                                ing  this  so  the  controls  will
                                                                                                                                be accessible from a single
                                                                                                                                place.q
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