The RCMP in Ontario has launched a Facebook Page!

LONDON, Ontario, September 21, 2010 /Canada NewsWire/ - On Monday, September 20, 2010, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ontario, also referred to as "O" Division, launched the official "Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ontario" Facebook page.

Using Facebook will allow us ("O" Division RCMP) to expand our profile, make connections with more people and audiences and promote the work that we do in this province.

To find our page, visit the RCMP "O" Division website at www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/on/index-eng.htm and follow the link to facebook . Or, visit www.facebook.com and search for "Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ontario" (not "RCMP").

Materials on the websites are produced for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the programs and services offered by the RCMP and the Government of Canada.

The RCMP welcomes feedback from visitors and respects everyone's fundamental right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression as provided for in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Before posting anything to our Wall, please review our guidelines below and keep in mind that all unacceptable/illegal comments will be removed and reported.

Acceptable

...civil and constructive comments, suggestions, information

Unacceptable

...racism, hatred, slander, threats, obscenity, violence, vulgarity
...spam
...advertising
...personal information about another person
...copyrighted material that belongs to another person
...links to inappropriate websites

If you want to report a crime, please contact your local RCMP detachment or the police service of jurisdiction in your area. The RCMP does not accept reports of crime via email. For emergencies, please call 911.

Privacy Commissioner launches new Facebook probe

New complaint highlights dissatisfaction with privacy changes that the popular social networking site has been making in the wake of last summer's in-depth investigation by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.


OTTAWA, January 27, 2010 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - In response to a new public complaint, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is once again launching an investigation into Facebook, the social networking site whose privacy policies and practices were the subject of a comprehensive probe by her Office last summer.

The complaint focuses on a tool introduced by Facebook in mid-December 2009, which required users to review their privacy settings. The complainant alleges that the new default settings would have made his information more readily available than the settings he had previously put in place.

"The individual's complaint mirrors some of the concerns that our Office has heard and expressed to Facebook in recent months," said Elizabeth Denham, the Assistant Privacy Commissioner who spearheaded the original investigation and follow-up.

"Some Facebook users are disappointed by certain changes being made to the site - changes that were supposed to strengthen their privacy and the protection of their personal information."

In July 2009, Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart released findings of an in-depth examination of the privacy issues raised by the California-based site, which now claims 350 million users worldwide.

Key concerns highlighted in the report related to Facebook's transparency and clarity - specifically, the need to better explain how it handles the personal information in its care. The report also recommended that Facebook provide users with increased control over their personal information. In August, following intensive discussions, Facebook agreed to modify its site in ways that would address the Commissioner's concerns.

Since then, however, changes to the site's privacy information, settings and tools have sparked criticism from users who feel that personal information posted to the site is, in some instances, even more exposed now than before.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada will investigate the complaint it has received, while continuing to follow up with Facebook as it introduces new changes to its site. The company committed last August to resolving within a year all of the concerns raised in the first investigation report.


The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is mandated by Parliament to act as an ombudsman, advocate and guardian of privacy and the protection of personal information rights of Canadians.

Facebook shuts down Beacon marketing tool

As part of a settlement of a large class-action lawsuit in California, Facebook has agreed to completely shut down its "Beacon" feature, which connects users' activites outside of Facebook to the users' profiles. See: Facebook shuts down Beacon marketing tool Sympatico.ca Sync.

Beacon was one of many high-profile privacy missteps taken by Facebook over its relatively short history. I've always thought that Facebook is a bit of a game-changer and has had to blaze its own trail through uncharted territory. While mistakes happen, it has been remarkable that Facebook has not been more open to its users by giving advance warning about significant changes and the simple use of "opt in" for features that are inherently intrusive.

This underscores the theory that privacy is, in large measure, about meeting users' expectations. If users are surprised by the use of their information, they get upset. If you tell users how you propose to use their information and give them control over that, they're generally fine with it. It's just that simple.

from Canadian Privacy Law Blog