Hill fallout continues from a report
that Facebook and MySpace had transferred users personal information to
marketing firms and other third parties without their knowledge.
The
Wall Street Journal reported that tens of millions were affected by
third-party applications that gathered personally identifiable information on
users.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.), who has pushed
for stronger online privacy protections, Tuesday asked Facebook CEO
Mark Zuckerberg and MySpace President Michael Jones for more
information about the breaches, saying they raised serious questions about
enforcing their own privacy policies.
Among the questions Rockefeller wants answered are
what other breaches there have been, what penalties are imposed on third
parties who violate the sites' privacy policies, and, in the case of MySpace,
why it says it can't control how third parties control or use information when
other sites do.
"I fully intend to conduct oversight and
formulate strong public policy that protects the privacy of American
consumers," said Rockefeller to each executive.
Rockefeller's request follows a similar one by Reps. Joe Barton(R-Tex.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), co-chairs of the House Privacy Caucus, last
week, giving the companies until Oct. 27 to respond.
