Facebook deals with concerns from legislators about personal privacy of health groups

Facebook is under fire for apparently stopping working to safeguard the health information offered by users in “closed” groups, and legislators desire responses. 

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent out a letter to Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg asking for a personnel instruction by March about the most recent personal privacy issues connected to the social media network.

A 43-page problem submitted to the Federal Trade Commission, which was revealed on Monday, declares that Facebook entices users into sharing their individual health info in closed groups, implying members need to be authorized prior to they can see or publish material. But the social media network apparently misguides users about how personal or confidential the health information they share is, and 3rd parties have actually made use of loopholes to gain access to members’ posts and remarks.

A Facebook representative pressed back versus the concept the social media network was deceptive users about closed groups.

“Facebook is not an anonymous platform; real-name identity is at the center of the experience and always has been. It’s intentionally clear to people that when they join any group on Facebook, other members of that group can see that they are a part of that community, and can see the posts they choose to share with that community,” a Facebook representative stated in a declaration. “There is value in being able to know who you’re having a conversation with in a group, and we look forward to briefing the committee about how these products work.” 

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In July, revelations surfaced that members of a private group for breast cancer gene carriers discovered a Chrome extension that allowed marketers and others to find the names and sometimes the profile information of members in closed groups.

While Facebook closed this loophole, security researcher Fred Trotter and health care lawyer David Harlow noted in the complaint that it’s possible to set up a fake account and download a group’s member list. Trotter and Harlow also argued that Facebook violated federal law along with an agreement it had with the FTC to get consent from users before sharing their data with third parties. 

“The consumer complaint raises a number of concerns about Facebook’s privacy policies and practices,” lawmakers said in the letter to Zuckerberg. Facebook, they said, may have failed to inform users that their health data might have been exposed to insurance companies, online bullies and others.

The FTC, which has been investigating Facebook’s privacy practices, is reportedly negotiating a record-setting fine against the social network.  

First published Feb. 19, 1:46 p.m. PT.
Update, 2:29 p.m. PT: Adds statement from Facebook.