Facebook: For Delete Read Archive?

What do you say on social networks and who you connect to may be one thing, but does the information collected against you go much deeper? Importantly, if you delete it, is it in fact deleted, or stored against you forever? Many of us are careful how far we embrace the social network world, but does that apply to everyone?

Today Europe vs Facebook points the finger at the social network site and once again asks many questions about the extent of personal data stored and its usage and archive. As Facebook’s European users are administered by its Irish Facebook subsidiary, the case is being driven through the Irish Data Protection commissioner, and falls under the Irish Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003

The case is being brought by an Austrian law student, Max Schrems. Who requested personal data being held about him and discovered that the site had some 1,200 pages of personal data that he received on a CD. The amount of data was not the issue, but more disturbing was that much of what he received he claims had been deleted. This included rejected friend requests, actions he had taken to "defriended" someone, a log of all Facebook chats, photos he had detagged of himself and the names of everyone he had ever "poked",

The data also included some email addresses and other information he claims not to have never uploaded to the site, but which he assumes were gathered from another user's profile. Some would suggest enables Facebook to build ‘shadow profiles’ for people who may not even use the site.

Remember that even though you press delete, defriend, remove your data, it may never get cleared and could be stored for ever to be used in a manner you never intended.

Facebook says any user can download their "personal archive" and probably many may now start to do so.

Can We Secure Our Privacy?

Hot on the tail of this year's Facebook issues over privacy and the question of Google's Street mapping program collecting extra data on wifi security, a class action lawsuit has been taken against Apple claiming personal data is being passed around on iPad and iPhone users without owners them being notified or compensated. They are also considering a similar action against Google over personal data on Android applications.

The Wall Street Journal report that the claimant, Jonathan Lalo of LA, said Apple and a group of mobile application developers were selling personal data, including his age, gender and location to ad networks. The suit states that Lalo "did not expect, receive notice of, or consent to Defendants' tracking of his iPhone app use and did not want Defendants to engage in such activity’.

The case papers allege that many applications collect too much personal data and enable users to be individually identified. They claim that many firms and advertisers are able monitor and identify individuals via Apple’s unique device ID which they feel is not adequately restricted by Apple. This claim is supported by researchers from Bucknell University who recently proved that individuals can be identified this way. Apple’s stated policy only allows data to be shared with third parties if an app genuinely requires the information operationally.

The question remains as to how much of a privacy issue exists and the full implications of any tightening of the rules. However, it once again raises the question about privacy and protection of personal information today.

Meanwhile Mozilla ,the developers of the Firefox browser, have accidently exposed the passwords of 44,000 inactive addons.mozilla.org accounts left on a Mozilla public server. Mozilla's director of infrastructure security Chris Lyon wrote in a posting on the Mozilla Security Blog late Monday night notes that all the passwords were for inactive accounts that have now been deleted and disabled. Mozilla has informed all affected users of the breach by email.