Yet another change in the internal workings of Meta. The group has initiated a relaxation of its rules regarding the protection of privacy, the aim being to accelerate the development and implementation of new products. According to a memo from Chief Privacy Officer Michel Protti, intercepted by The Information, product teams will have the final say on the risks their services pose to users’ privacy.
The Risk of Undermining Data Protection
“Over time, some of our practices have become increasingly complex and risk-averse, which can be at odds with Meta’s need to innovate and move quickly on its product priorities,” the executive wrote.
With these new rules, privacy teams will have a limited amount of time to voice their objections and will not be able to delay a launch without the approval of a senior executive. If there is a disagreement between the product and privacy teams, it will be resolved at a higher level, and that could go all the way up to Mark Zuckerberg himself.
The power of the data protection teams — over 3,000 people — is therefore reduced. Add to that greater automation of the approval process and shorter review times. The stakes are high: the number of products and services reviewed each month is absolutely enormous (1,400 on average!), and risks could be overlooked if reviews are less comprehensive or rushed.
Meta is walking a tightrope. The company is contractually committed to subjecting each new product to a privacy review, as part of a settlement with the FTC (the American communications regulator) in 2019, following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This process has led to improvements, such as a light on Ray-Ban glasses to signal when images are being recorded.
In his new Trumpist momentum, Mark Zuckerberg decided at the beginning of the year to end moderation rules on Facebook and Instagram. The reduction in confidentiality processes is part of the same logic of relaxing safeguards in the group's social networks and products.
Source: The Information
0 Comments