Boete voor Google, toezicht voor Facebook

Afgelopen week publiceerde de Federal Trade Commission (FTC) twee persberichten.
Het ene ging over de schikking die de FTC met Facebook is overeenkomen naar aanleiding van allerlei privacy-overtredingen. Ik schreef eind vorig jaar al over de voorgestelde schikking, maar die is nu dus definitief:

The settlement requires Facebook to take several steps to make sure it lives up to its promises in the future, including by giving consumers clear and prominent notice and obtaining their express consent before sharing their information beyond their privacy settings, by maintaining a comprehensive privacy program to protect consumers' information, and by obtaining biennial privacy audits from an independent third party.

Het andere ging over een boete voor Google, omdat het bedrijf de afgelopen jaren in Safari stiekem een tracking-cookie plaatste, ondanks de standaard "do-not-follow"-optie in de Apple-browser:

In its complaint, the FTC charged that for several months in 2011 and 2012, Google placed a certain advertising tracking cookie on the computers of Safari users who visited sites within Google’s DoubleClick advertising network, although Google had previously told these users they would automatically be opted out of such tracking, as a result of the default settings of the Safari browser used in Macs, iPhones and iPads.

De FTC meldde enigszins trots dat de boete van $22.500.000 (22,5 miljoen) die hij Google oplegde
"the Largest FTC Penalty Ever" was. Maar, als ik hier lees dat de omzet van Google in het tweede kwartaal alleen al $12.214.000.000 (12,2 miljard) was, dan is zo'n boete van 22,5 miljoen redelijk klein bier. (Als, ik me niet in het aantal nullen vergis, komt het neer op een boete van ongeveer €22 voor iemand met een bruto maandsalaris van ongeveer €4.000.)
De boete voor Google was trouwens zo hoog, omdat Google eerder al van de FTC te horen gekregen dat hij de wet niet meer mocht overtreden. Facebook is nu dus onder datzelfde toezicht geplaatst.

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Precies acht maanden geleden schreef ik over de schikking die Google met de Federal Trade Commission (FTC) gesloten had over de misleidende privacy-beloften ten aanzien van Buzz. En gisteren maakte de FTC bekend een gelijksoortige schikking met Facebook te willen sluiten. De Commission heeft onder andere vastgesteld dat:

• In December 2009, Facebook changed its website so certain information that users may have designated as private – such as their Friends List – was made public. They didn't warn users that this change was coming, or get their approval in advance.

• Facebook represented that third-party apps that users' installed would have access only to user information that they needed to operate. In fact, the apps could access nearly all of users' personal data – data the apps didn't need.

• Facebook told users they could restrict sharing of data to limited audiences – for example with "Friends Only." In fact, selecting "Friends Only" did not prevent their information from being shared with third-party applications their friends used.

• Facebook had a "Verified Apps" program & claimed it certified the security of participating apps. It didn't.

• Facebook promised users that it would not share their personal information with advertisers. It did.

• Facebook claimed that when users deactivated or deleted their accounts, their photos and videos would be inaccessible. But Facebook allowed access to the content, even after users had deactivated or deleted their accounts.

• Facebook claimed that it complied with the U.S.- EU Safe Harbor Framework that governs data transfer between the U.S. and the European Union. It didn't.

In de voorgestelde schikking staat onder andere:

• barred from making misrepresentations about the privacy or security of consumers' personal information;

• required to obtain consumers' affirmative express consent before enacting changes that override their privacy preferences;

• required to prevent anyone from accessing a user's material more than 30 days after the user has deleted his or her account;

• required to establish and maintain a comprehensive privacy program designed to address privacy risks associated with the development and management of new and existing products and services, and to protect the privacy and confidentiality of consumers' information; and

• required, within 180 days, and every two years after that for the next 20 years, to obtain independent, third-party audits certifying that it has a privacy program in place that meets or exceeds the requirements of the FTC order, and to ensure that the privacy of consumers' information is protected.

En er staan nog een paar interessante dingen in het persbericht. Het ene is dat in de schikking ook "standard record-keeping provisions" zijn opgenomen, die er voor moeten zorgen dat de FTC de komende jaren kan controleren of Facebook zich aan de afspraken houdt.
Het andere opvallende is dat de schikking nog slechts een "voorstel" is. Tot 30 december kan iedereen commentaar geven op de tekst van de schikking. Daarna zal de FTC de schikking pas definitief maken.
Opmerkingen kunnen digitaal ingediend worden en uiteraard ook analoog. Maar:

The FTC is requesting that any comment filed in paper form near the end of the public comment period be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because U.S. postal mail in the Washington area and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions.

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Volgens mij twitterde ik hier eerder al over, maar ik blijf het een rare afspraak vinden.
Google en de Federal Trade Commission hebben samen vastgesteld dat Google bij de lancering van Buzz misleidende tactieken heeft gebruikt en privacybeloften aan zijn gebruikers heeft geschonden.

The proposed settlement bars Google from misrepresenting the privacy or confidentiality of individuals’ information or misrepresenting compliance with the U.S.-E.U Safe Harbor or other privacy, security, or compliance programs. The settlement requires the company to obtain users’ consent before sharing their information with third parties if Google changes its products or services in a way that results in information sharing that is contrary to any privacy promises made when the user’s information was collected. The settlement further requires Google to establish and maintain a comprehensive privacy program, and it requires that for the next 20 years, the company have audits conducted by independent third parties every two years to assess its privacy and data protection practices

Dus, Google mag in de toekomst niet meer liegen over de privacy-instellingen van zijn diensten, maar Yahoo, Zoho en al die anderen mogen dat wel nog?

Via Security.nl

Plaatje van Leo Reynolds