Irish privacy watchdog calls for Facebook changes

The Irish data protection commissioner has recommended widespread changes to improve privacy on Facebook.

They include making its terms and conditions clearer and offering users greater control over how their data is used on the site.

The findings are particularly significant because Facebook Ireland was given responsibility for all non-US and Canadian data in September 2010.

Facebook has six months to implement the changes.

Commissioner Billy Hawkes will conduct a formal review of its progress in July.

Commenting on the report, he said: "This was a challenging engagement both for my office and for Facebook Ireland. The audit has found a positive approach and commitment on the part of FB-I [Facebook Ireland] to respecting the privacy rights of its users."

Facebook welcomed the review, saying: "We are pleased that the report demonstrates how Facebook adheres to European data protection principles and complies with Irish law.

"Of course, the report highlights some areas where we can improve and reach best practice."

The report suggested widespread changes, including:

The review is the latest in a series of privacy investigations. Last month the US Federal Trade Commission said the social network giant had engaged in "unfair and deceptive" practices over changes made to its privacy settings in 2009.

In a blog post at the time, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the company had made a "bunch of mistakes".

But he added that this had often overshadowed the good work that the social networking site, which has more than 800 million users, had done.