Social media websites ignoring privacy laws, watchdog says

This article stated that Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, is concerned that some social media companies are ignoring privacy laws.  Stoddart told MPs at the House of Common that, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is too weak.  Although Canada’s privacy laws and policies are stronger than America’s, we are still not as strong as other countries, such as Germany.  Some social media companies such as Facebook are not following Canada’s Privacy Law.  Stoddart said, "The problem with social media companies is generally their lack of transparency with regulatory authorities." (2012)  The legislation currently does not require companies to report a privacy breach to Stoddart’s office or to consumers.  Keeping this information confidential could lead to an increased rate of privacy breaches.  Bill C-12 was proposed to amend PIPEDA, and strengthen the policies associated with PIPEDA.  This will help protect and empower consumers, and clarify and streamline rules for businesses.  It would also make data breach notifications mandatory.  This would increase transparency, and increase online privacy.  I think this Bill would be very important, as social media companies withhold so much of our personal identifiable information.  The link is:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/05/29/pol-social-media-privacy.html