Main image of article Facebook to Implement New Privacy Protection Measures
Facebook HQFacebook has agreed to make significant changes to privacy protection for more than half-a-billion users. The changes come in the wake of an investigation by the Irish Data Protection Commission, which found that Facebook’s privacy policies were too complex and “lacked transparency.” The social network’s Ireland office is responsible for all accounts outside of the United States and Canada. Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes announced that, following the audit, Facebook had “agreed to a wide range of 'best practice' improvements to be implemented over the next six months.” Non-U.S. users can expect to see better information about how Facebook and third-party apps make use of their personal information, the ability to delete certain details, and improved warnings that Facebook uses facial-recognition technology that may automatically tag them in photographs. The social giant will be subjected to another review in July. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously said the company had made a “bunch of mistakes” in how it handled personal privacy – but whether that means that the network will begin to implement some of these changes for U.S. accounts remains to be seen.