Around the Net

Facebook In UK Data Retention Probe

  • BBC News, Monday, January 21, 2008 11:30 AM

Facebook is undergoing an investigation in Britain after a former user of the social network was unable to fully delete their profile even after terminating their account. That's right, all that personal information remains on Facebook's servers even after a user deactivates their account. The company claims its policies are "in full compliance with UK data protection law," but the matter will still be investigated by Britain's Information Commissioner's Office.

After a user deactivates their Facebook account, that information remains on Facebook's computers, though it's no longer accessible. So why is it being kept there? Because Facebook doesn't want to lose all that valuable information just in case that user decides to come back. To completely and utterly delete your Facebook information, users must log into their accounts and delete all profile content manually.

The ICO is concerned that such a laborious task deters users from deleting their information. According to the BBC, the organization believes that Web companies should only hold onto information for as long as necessary, and they should make their data retention policies as clear as possible to the end user.

Read the whole story at BBC News »

Next story loading loading..