Facebook, the world’s largest social network, will meet this week with Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) for a final audit update meeting to review progress on many of the conditions called for as part of the global review.
In December, following an audit that arose from 22 complaints lodged by Austrian lobby group Europe Versus Facebook, the DPC and Facebook agreed to ‘best practice’ improvements to be implemented over six months, with a formal review happening in July 2012.
Some of the conditions, such as simplified language, access to users’ own data and transparency were to be implemented by March.
A spokesperson for Facebook said the meeting is purely to review progress and little detail is likely to be made public by either party ahead of a full report by the DPC Billy Hawkes in September.
Dialogue
The spokesperson said Facebook is in ongoing dialogue with the DPC and has co-operated fully during the audit and in the follow-up process.
“Over the past six months we have been keeping the office of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner closely informed of our progress in implementing the recommendations outlined in their audit report from December 2011,” the Facebook spokesman said.
“The DPC will conduct an on-site audit meeting with Facebook Ireland in mid-July, where it will further review our enhancements, and has said it plans to publish a report setting out its findings in due course. We look forward to the meeting and will continue to work co-operatively with our regulator in Ireland,” the spokesperson said.
