Facebook users will now have the option to "opt-in" before third-party applications can access their data
Prompted by meetings with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) earlier this year to improve its privacy settings, Facebook has announced that users can now choose an “opt-in” option before allowing third-party applications to access their personal information. This will allow the website’s users to see exactly which parts of their personal data third-party applications will need before they choose to download them.
Previously, third-party applications were required to ask for a user’s permission before accessing any personal information, but they were not asked to specify exactly what information was needed. Now, third-party applications must list exactly what information they will need, such as photos, videos or friends’ lists. The new privacy settings also allow users to give permission to a third-party application before it can access their friends’ data.
Although the option to “opt-in” is a welcome change from the option to “opt-out”, most third-party applications must still be allowed to access all the data before they can run.
