Facebook gives users more control after data scandal

To this end, the entire settings will be revised to give users the opportunity to check and delete messages and information that they have shared or searched for. An update to the data guidelines is also planned in the near future, the internet company announced on Wednesday.

This is the first time Facebook has responded with tangible changes to demands for more data protection and transparency. Most recently, the company had repeatedly apologized for the fact that the British analysis company Cambridge Analytics was able to use data from 50 million Facebook users in an allegedly unfair manner to support the election campaign of US President Donald Trump. More information Specifically, Facebook has now announced that it will no longer spread the settings "across almost 20 different subpages" but will make them accessible in one place.

It will be possible to activate additional security functions for the account and to check what has been shared and delete it if necessary. This could also be the search history.

At the same time, in future everyone will be able to decide for themselves which advertisements are displayed. Facebook also wants to enable users to download their data in the form of a backup copy. "We've heard loud and clear that privacy settings and other important features are too hard to find and that we need to do more to inform people," explained Facebook managers Erin Egan and Ashlie Beringer. With these measures, Facebook is pursuing the goal of giving users "more control over their privacy", they added.

New trouble

While Facebook struggles to get the scandal under control, new trouble is already looming. Three users sued the US company in a district court in California for breaches of data protection in its Messenger app. The complainants, who are seeking a class action lawsuit, accuse Facebook of withholding logs of phone calls and text messages.

The storage of user data is also the subject of a case in New Zealand, which prompted the country's data protection commissioner to publicly pillory the company and declare that Facebook had broken the law.

Accordingly, the US company prohibited a citizen from accessing their personal information that was stored on the accounts of other users. This was contrary to the Data Protection Act, according to the responsible state commissioner John Edwards. Facebook in turn stated that the company had investigated the complaint, but that it did not yet have enough details to clarify the matter.

Consequences demanded

The data scandal has prompted politicians, investors and supervisory authorities around the world to demand consequences. Company boss Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that he would restrict developers' access to user information. US MPs have invited the 33-year-old to answer questions in Congress. According to insiders, he plans to make a personal statement. A suitable date is still being sought, said Elena Hernandez, Chair of the Commerce Committee. (SDA)

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