EU Commissioner dissatisfied with Facebook's data security practices
Wed 06 Jul, 2011 // Chris Allan
Social networking site Facebook has drawn major disapproval from EU Commissioner Viviane Reding regarding its data security practices.
Reding turned up the heat on the US-based company after it activated a facial recognition feature in countries outside of the US. The technology was introduced on default, and switched on without first notifying users.
The commissioner expressed a rising concern throughout Europe with regard to how Facebook was using people's personal information.
"People ask: 'What are they doing with my data? What is this thing with photographs? It might be very interesting if I decide that I want this, but it cannot be imposed on me.' There are lots of questions about where we are going in this society," said Reding.
However, technically speaking, the social networking site has not breached any EU laws regarding data security, as the company is based in the United States. However, under new data security regulations, expected to go into effect this autumn, all businesses and services operating within the European Union will be required to notify customers of security breaches – regardless of where the company is based. Reding hopes the new legislation will close loopholes like the one accompanying Facebook's new technology.
Reding commented, "The law is for everyone who does business on the territory of Europe, whatever the origin of the business might be. So you cannot hide anymore by saying, 'I do not have my headquarters in Europe’."
"Only recently, we witnessed a massive security theft in online gaming services affecting millions of users around the world," said Reding. "This incident highlights why companies need to reinforce the security of the information they hold. Frequent incidents of data security breaches risk undermining consumers' trust in the online economy."
Reding did acknowledge the difficulties that are likely to emerge in trying to implement the law for companies based outside of Europe, stating that data infringement complaints against countries outside of Europe "would be dealt with through the nearest responsible national data protection authority."
“We have been pleased to work with commissum who have provided us with services to address our Security Assurance requirements. commissum met our demands, as an organisation operating within the Legal Services sector, with the highest level of integrity, commitment and excellent level of service. We would have no hesitation in recommending commissum.”
Mr Kenneth P, IT Manager, National Legal Services
"commissum recently provided us with services to assess a web application and supporting infrastructure. I was impressed with the consultants throughout the project, by their technical knowledge, flexibility, open communication and willingness to go that extra mile. Of particular benefit was the sound advice given both during and after the engagement. By identifying vulnerabilities promptly, accompanied with practical recommendations on how to address them. We were able to implement improvements quickly. Good value, a job well done.”
JM, Infosec Analyst, International Investment Bank
"We engaged with commissum for the first time this year and found them highly professional and a pleasure to do business with. We were particularly pleased with the report provided which was of excellent quality, with an appropriate level of detail and clarity in its recommendations. I would happily refer others to commissum.”
Mr Billy K, IT Director, National Law Firm
"We are extremely pleased with the work carried out by the commissum team. All of the commissum staff were a pleasure to work with and maintained a high level of professionalism at all times. They were able to provide us with sound advice and guidance to make sure that we got the best value for money from our test and provided excellent communication and recommendations before, during and after the tests. I would strongly recommend commissum to other companies that are looking for peace of mind in relation to their IT security and I can say that we will use commissum again for future testing.”
Chris S, IT Officer - UK Housing Association
"commissum understood exactly what we needed and delivered excellent service on time, and on budget. Why can't all companies be like them!"
Mr Duncan M, Information Security Manager - National Building Society
Get in touch with one of our security consultants today
- No obligation
- Expert advice
- Tailored solutions
"commissum was particularly responsive and the project was well managed under demanding conditions. I was very happy with the technical standard. Very good value for money as well”
Mr Kenneth Y, Head of IT Risk & Compliance, International Retail Bank
"I was very pleased with the work delivered by commissum from start to finish. The quality of reporting was excellent and the consultants very helpful with clear communication throughout the engagement. I would happily recommend commissum to others.”
Ms Louisa L, IT Manager, National Building Society
"commissum provided us with a high quality service. We found the project team helpful and flexible in responding to changes in requirement; the technical staff in particular were excellent. All commitments including deliverable timescales were met and I would have no hesitation in recommending commissum.”
Mr A Moretti, Executive Director for IT Security Risk Management, Global Investment Bank
"From the start the project went very smoothly despite the short notice. commissum maintained excellent communication throughout ........ their flexibility and responsiveness right up to the end of the project was of great value to us.”
Mr Keith H, Senior Business Manager - UK Local Government
