TRUSTe and Facebook Announce Disclosure Enhancements and Model Privacy Policy Language for New Web sites that Implement Beacon
Answering Privacy Demands of Innovation, TRUSTe Continues to Lead Development of Online Privacy Standards
San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA. – December 14, 2007 - TRUSTe and Facebook today announced enhanced disclosures around the Beacon program in the Facebook privacy policy, and unveiled recommended language for new Beacon Web site partners to use in their own privacy policies. As a result of recent changes implemented by Facebook, Beacon now requires an affirmative opt-in and user control over whether activity is made available to friends and networks on Facebook. It also carries a universal opt-out mechanism. These controls meet TRUSTe’s requirements regarding third-party data collection and publishing.
Facebook has also committed to working closely and proactively with TRUSTe to ensure that their evolving programs, including the use of Beacon by other Web sites, meet the TRUSTe standards for user choice and control. In addition, TRUSTe and Facebook will continue working with Beacon partners to ensure that they are giving consumers notice and choice about how their information may be used.
As the privacy certification body for Facebook, TRUSTe is continually reviewing Facebook features, disclosures and controls to ensure that they deliver on Facebook’s commitments to user privacy. Over the past few weeks, TRUSTe has been working with Facebook and is pleased that the program is now opt-in.
The revised privacy policy can be found at www.facebook.com/policy. Additional information for Facebook users regarding Beacon has been published atwww.facebook.com/beacon/faq.php.
“New technologies bring forth privacy challenges and sensitivities. Facebook has set a high bar for privacy and responsiveness to emerging user privacy concerns in a medium it is pioneering,” said Carolyn Hodge, vice president of communications for TRUSTe. “TRUSTe’s role will be to work with Facebook, providing guidelines for ensuring that privacy obligations are clearly communicated and user controls are consistent with our requirements regarding opt-in for third party information sharing.”
“Facebook enables the sharing of information between friends, family and colleagues, while giving users control over who sees that information,” said Chris Kelly, chief privacy officer for Facebook. “These additional disclosures will further allow users to make more informed choices.”
About TRUSTe
TRUSTe is the leading global privacy management solutions provider and offers a broad suite of solutions that enable multinational companies to safely and efficiently handle the customer data powering their online businesses - including advertising, cloud services, mobile applications, and websites. Over 5,000 web properties from top companies like Apple, Disney, eBay, Forbes, HP, and Microsoft rely on TRUSTe to ensure compliance with evolving and complex international privacy requirements. TRUSTe's mission, based on a "Truth in Privacy" framework, is built on a solid foundation of transparency, choice and accountability regarding the collection and use of personal information. TRUSTe's privacy seal is recognized and trusted by millions of consumers worldwide as a sign of responsible privacy practices. For additional information on TRUSTe and its offerings, please visit http://www.truste.com.