Facebook Beacon generates
more ire than light

The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic has filed a privacy complaint against Facebook, asserting it violates the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

"Facebook does not make a reasonable effort to advise users of the purposes for which their personal information is used," the group wrote. "Facebook also does not advise users of the extent of their personal information that will be shared by joining a network."

Facebook spokesmen denied that the complaint has merit. "[The] complaint […] has serious factual errors — most notably its neglect of the fact that almost all Facebook data is willingly shared by users," one said.

The complaint primarily takes issue with Facebook's default settings, which favor information-sharing. Users may switch them off at will, but aren't always aware that most of their information is non-private in the first place, the Clinic argued.

"[Default settings] should be all set to no sharing, so that when people join Facebook, they have to go in and actually make positive, real choices about who they're going to share with," argued executive director Philippa Lawson of the Clinic.

Facebook's Beacon and SocialAds — which tells users what brands their friends favor — are also mentioned in the suit, MediaPost wrote.

Two months ago, Facebook CRO Owen Van Natta argued users have no real problem with Facebook Beacon, whose offerings were rolled back following user outcry led by MoveOn.org. Pushback was instigated by the media, he said, and Facebook plans to go on expanding the Beacon model.

AllFacebook says the Canadian privacy complaint was part of an educational case for law students. If all goes as planned, it may result in a class action suit.