Back in January of 2009, Facebook had just launched Facebook Connect, allowing other Web sites to tap users’ data when given authorization. Chris Kelly, Facebook’s chief privacy officer was in Toronto to participate in an event hosted by the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner’s office, and ITBusiness.ca was there to do this video interview.
In the interview, Kelly talks about how Facebook could serve as the privacy gateway to access the Web. He addresses how Facebook sets rules for third-party developers that must be followed, and the site’s plans to be more transparent about what information those developer have access to. Ann Cavoukian also weighs in with her opinion on Facebook Connect.
Today, Chris Kelly is no longer with Facebook and the company doesn’t currently have a chief privacy officer. It has revamped the way its third-party applications are given access to user information, but it might not be enough to placate the federal Privacy Commissioner’s Office. Meanwhile, Facebook Connect is used across thousands of Web sites, desktop applications, and smartphone apps.