great! good to hear (read).

Facebook has NOT made any privacy changes yet. The Toronto Star article says: "Facebook expects to begin altering language in its privacy policies within the next month or so. More complex technical changes will take up to a year."

*sings* Blame Canada! Blame Canada! */sings*

I'm rather surprised they are applying it to all users, rather than just to profiles that state they are Canadian (which is all they need to do to satisfy the law, unless Facebook is a Canadian corporation... ...it isn't, is it?)

@shepd: No, they are not canadian. They are based in California. They should have had those features from the start and it is a shame it took the Canadian government to change it. US really needs better privacy laws on the books.

I generally dislike our current government, but for once I thank them. A few months ago I asked them to memorialize my brother's account after he passed away from a lifelong illness. The policy on doing so was very vague and lead me to believe that it would "protect" his privacy by removing updated status functions. However, they did not specify that they would delete his comments from public groups and pictures as well. I wrote many times back to the facebook team to get an answer why they did not specify their policies and asked if they could restore his comments, but they seemed to think they knew my brother better than his friends or family did. Their reply was "we want to respect his privacy".
/end rant

@shepd: Easier to apply it to everyone than to selectively cherry pick users with the sort of changes they have to make.

@shepd: And you're complaining about this why? I don't care if they decided to do this because their sock spoke to them in the middle of the night. It's a good change that needed to happen.

this will prevent many ads that include the one with Dan and his wife who was a "Hot Single"

g

Can I blame my homeland for making it harder for me to complain about Facebook?

Still not joining Facebook, but my maple leaf will be worn with an even bigger grin than usual today!

@p51baby: The Privacy Commissioner is a civil servant, not a partisan political party hack, so don't give the elected government any credit for this, but thank a government employee for doing their job well.

@sk1d: Ah, thanks for clarifying it. My distain for my government still stands unscathed.

the question comes, how shall South Park deal with this?!

@waffles:

No argument there, not a complaint, more of a shock. :)

Welcome development. A big thanks to our neighbors to the north!

Just want to add that Facebook users DID have the choice to delete (and not merely deactivate) their accounts for a while. Unfortunately, this option was "buried" and you'd have to search diligently in the Facebook Help pages (or alternatively just search the web) to find the Delete form.

BTW, the URL for deleting accounts are: [www.facebook.com]

@tawni: Yes, we need better privacy laws and enforcement of them.

Despite sending this tip in, i have to say i am highly dissapointed in this development...

While, yes, it is great that there are more privacy restrictions, which helps protect your data. However, in the long run, this will be a big pain in the @$$ for application developers such as myself (I run CivWars at [apps.facebook.com] ).

I can see a large drop in MAU once this is implemented.

Also, while i am here, allow me to clear up some misconceptions about facebook apps.

In a previous post about facebook spam apps, the post made it sound like facebook approved it into the directory. I checked. It wasent there. So then why can people add it, and why can people send notifications? Because unlike apple, facebook has an OPEN platform. While just creating an application does not ensure you will get into the directory (FREE ORGANIC ADVERTISING!!! WOOT), it allows spam apps to exist. When facebook finds out, it's the app and the account of the "developer" that is banned.

(As a sidenote: To have your app submitted into the directory, you need to have at least ten people (excluding yourself) add the application....)

Seriously though, if every app was screened before anyone could add it, nothing would ever get done, and the wait time for directory approval would be 1000x as long as the iTunes App Store.

Every day hundreds/thousands of new crap quiz apps are being created and submitted... If facebook had to go through each and every single one, it would be a statistical nightmare....

@p51baby: Yeah, basically the privacy commission is sort of like the post office. They do the same job regardless of who forms the government.

Canada is what the United States would be, if we did it right.

@Trai_Dep: @Trai_Dep: Aww <3 We love you guys too. Need any help, we'll be up here.

@Trai_Dep: I dunno; there's still this little thing called "Target" and "California girls" that we completely lack.

While these changes are definitely welcome and they could actually be to FaceBook's advantage to publicize, I fear that other countries might enact additional legislation (just to be different) and then what are FaceBook (and others) supposed to do? It'll end up like Microsoft Security Updates in no time.

A similarish example was after the U.S. implemented that nifty redesign to the food product nutritional content label, the Canadian government - instead of just copying the American design (with the blessing of the U.S) - decided to spend the $XMillion to develop their OWN version. Many people to this day are still puzzling over what makes the Canadian person and diet so different from the American one.

Let's hope the Canadian rules are robust and complete enough to mollify the entire world's privacy concerns.

@mariospants:

Pff... who wants Target?

@mariospants: Facebook isn't the only social networking site out there, and there are many that don't operate within Canada's jurisdiction. I think it is in the best interest of every country's citizenry that strong privacy laws exist. I actually hope that this will motivate other countries to implement such legislation.

As an aside, I've noticed that a number of Americans (especially here on this site) don't exactly have a lot of faith in the FDA's ability to do its job. I can understand why the Canadians would want do its own work and not rely on the FDA's.

@mariospants: I could do without that. More importantly, Canada has pretty good TV compared to America.

@jamar0303: If you live far enough north in the US, you get Canadian TV *and* Tim Hortons.

@azntg: I believe the proper term for "neighbors to the north" is "America's Hat." Just for future reference, eh.

@jamar0303: canadian tv isn't all that good ... and it eventually makes its way here anyways. corner gas was funny, and came to daytime tv here. the listener was a great series, and actually came to primetime here. so ... we're not really missing out. the canadian version of the fcc is really picky when it comes to TV.

@Laura Northrup: you live up there in the rochester boonies right?

@KMan13 still wants a Pontiac G8: Well, Canada has Animax. The US doesn't. Also plenty of good comedy.
@Laura Northrup: YES. My life dream is to move to Niagara Falls or some other border town.

@RogerTheAlien: Only if the proper term for out "neighbours to the south" is "Canada's toilet"

@mariospants: Canada has different definitions of certain things. For example, the "trans fat free" cookies at Quiznos don't qualify as trans fat free in Canada, they had to put stickers over that claim to sell them here.

@shepd: It's not a canadian company,
It was invented by 2 Canadians, but it's run out of the states somewhere.
and BTW, you're welcome.

Anyone remember DANs wife

@Steeldrumhero:

"you're welcome?"

...you place this pox upon society and expect thanks?!

Now id we could just find the asshats behind MySpace and have a good old-fashioned lynching.

instead of just copying the American design

@mariospants: But why should they copy the American design? Were Canadian health experts recommending that they do so?

@Trai_Dep: If Canada is so great how come all the Canadian celebrities move to the US once they make it T.V. or Film.

@Trai_Dep: "Yes, we all know Canadians all talk funny, and they live in igloos, and say "eh" a lot. Go ahead and make your jokes. But dismiss Canada and you'll be missing what America could have been if we'd tried to be better people instead of bigger, louder, richer people."

Still my favourite line on the subject.

@Lincolnsbeard33: Either because there's a lot more loopholes in US tax law or because it's easier to live close to the people you want to work for, as a rule.

@KMan13 still wants a Pontiac G8:
This weekend there was a perfect example of the difference between Canadian TV and US TV. On a Canadian cable channel they were showing Boogie Nights - and they had the full nudity. On the US channel it was My Cousin Vinny and they had blanked out the swearing.

The Soprano's was shown uncut on broadcast TV at 10pm, A&E's Soprano's was heavily edited.

I've always wondered why the FCC is almost puritanical.