Complaints about failure/delay to permanently delete Facebook accounts.

Link: [1]File-List

13th May 2011

Case Reference Number IRQ0391244

Dear Mr Oakes

Request for Information

Thank you for your e-mail sent earlier today, in which you have asked us
to provide you with various items of information held by the Information
CommissionerÂ’s Office (ICO) about Facebook Inc.

Your request will be dealt with by the Internal Compliance Department in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 under the reference
number shown above.  We will therefore respond to your request by 13
June 2011 which, allowing for the late May bank holiday, is 20 working
days from the day after we received your request.

Should you wish to reply to this e-mail please be careful not to amend the
information in the ‘subject’ field. This will ensure that your
reply is added directly to your case. However, please be aware that this
is an automated process; the information will not be read by a member of
our staff until your case is allocated to a request handler.

Yours sincerely

Antonia Swann

Lead Internal Compliance Officer

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Tel: 01625 545894

[2]www.ico.gov.uk

show quoted sections

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 Fax: 01625 524 510 Web: www.ico.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/radF53E6_files/filelist.xml
2. http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Link: [1]File-List

9th June 2011

Case Reference Number IRQ0391244

Dear Mr Oakes

Further to our acknowledgment dated 13 May 2011 we are now in a position
to respond to your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act.

On 13 May 2011 you requested the following information:

“How many complaints has your office received in the last 3 years
concerning Facebook Inc. and their website facilities in regard to
the delay or failure to action the requests of UK citizens to
permanently delete their 'Facebook' accounts so that all references
to the Facebook accounts are extinguished on the internet?

How many incidents concerning the above have been raised by the ICO with
Facebook Inc. via the ICO's Strategic Liaison Committee
meetings in the last 3 years?

Please supply copies of the last three set of agreed Minutes
between the ICO Strategic Liaison department and Facebook Inc.”

I have searched our electronic case management system which holds
information on complaints we dealt with about Facebook up to the date of
receipt of your request. I can confirm that, in total we hold 18
complaints about Facebook. The breakdown per year is as follows:

o 2008: 6 complaints
o 2009: 5 complaints
o 2010 to date:7 complaints

I have included below the nature all the complaints we received about
Facebook, the date of receipt and the outcome.7 complaints have been about
deletion of accounts. I have however provided you will information on the
nature of all complaints we hold for your information.

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Nature of complaint |Date of receipt|Status |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Deletion of accounts |22/01/2008 |Compliance likely |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | | |
| | | |
|Access to Personal Data under | |Closed- |
|section 7 | | |
| |25/01/2008 |Compliance Likely |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Deletion of accounts |25/01/2008 |Insufficient Information|
| | |Provided |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | | |
| | | |
|Access to Personal Data under | |Closed- |
|section 7 | | |
| |24/7/2008 |Advice given |
| | | |
| | | |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Inappropriate postings on |27/01/2009 |Advice given |
|Facebook | | |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
| |24/01/2008 |Advice given |
| | | |
|Deletion of profile | | |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| |25/01/2008 |Closed- |
| | | |
|Deletion of accounts | |Advice given |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| |24/04/2009 |Closed- |
| | | |
|Deletion of accounts | |Advice given |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| |17/03/2009 |Closed- |
| | | |
|Deletion of accounts | |Insufficient Information|
| | |provided |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | | |
| | | |
|Access to Facebook  page |05/10/2010 |Advice given |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Identification of names through| |Insufficient Information|
|Google search | |provided |
| |21/07/2009 | |
| | | |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Retaining information after | | |
|deletion | | |
| |14/12/2009 |Advice given |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Information on friend finder on|15/02/2010 |Advice given |
|individuals not registered on | | |
|Facebook | | |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Hacking of account |19/03/2010 |Assessment criteria not |
| | |met |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Deletion of account |27/01/2010 |Assessment criteria not |
| | |met |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Deletion of details from family|01/04/2010 |Assessment criteria not |
|link application | |met |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
|Linking email accounts to | |Closed |
|Facebook | | |
| |12/06/2010 |Assessment criteria not |
| | |met |
|-------------------------------+---------------+------------------------|
| | |Closed- |
| | | |
|Hacking of Facebook account |30/06/2010 |Assessment criteria not |
| | |met |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Please find below the definition of each closure category included under
the status of complaints.

“Closed – Insufficient information provided”

This is used where we have received a complaint but have been unable to
progress it without further information from the complainant.

“Closed – Assessment criteria not met”

This outcome is used where the complaint did not meet the assessment
criteria set out in Section 42 of the DPA.

“Closed - Compliance likely”

This is used when it is our assessment that the data controller is likely
to be in compliance with the DPA.

“Closed-Advice given”

This is used where a customer has not made a direct complaint, but has
asked how to complain or whether a particular scenario would benefit from
the ICO conducting an assessment.

In response to the second question “How many incidents concerning the
above have been raised by the ICO with Facebook Inc. via the ICO's
Strategic Liaison Committee meetings in the last 3 years?”,

I have liaised with our Strategic Liaison Department and can confirm that
over the last three financial years from the date of the receipt of your
request we have not raised any incidents with Facebook regarding deletion
of accounts via ICO meetings with Facebook. As such no information is held
in relation to your request.

In response to your third question, “Please supply copies of the last
three set of agreed Minutes between the ICO Strategic Liaison department
and Facebook Inc.” .We do not hold information in relation to agreed
minutes of meetings with Facebook. We do not hold minutes for meetings
with Facebook.

I hope you find the above of assistance.

If you are dissatisfied with the response you have received and wish to
request a review of our decision or make a complaint about how your
request has been handled you should write to the Internal Compliance Team
at the address below or e-mail

[2][email address]

Your request for internal review should be submitted to us within 40
working days of receipt by you of this response. Any such request
received after this time will only be considered at the discretion of the
Commissioner.

If having exhausted the review process you are not content that your
request or review has been dealt with correctly, you have a further right
of appeal to this office in our capacity as the statutory complaint
handler under the legislation.  To make such an application, please
write to the Case Reception Team, at the address below or visit the
‘Complaints’ section of our website to make a Freedom of
Information Act or Environmental Information Regulations complaint online.

 

A copy of our review procedure is attached.

Yours sincerely,

Iman Elmehdawy

Lead Internal Compliance Officer

Information CommissionerÂ’s Office

show quoted sections

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 Fax: 01625 524 510 Web: www.ico.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/rad61933_files/filelist.xml
2. mailto:[email address]

Thank you for emailing the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This
is an automatic acknowledgement to tell you we have received your email
safely. Please do not reply to this email.

If your email was about a new complaint or request for advice it will be
considered by our Customer Contact Department. One of our case officers
will be in touch as soon as possible.

If your email was about an ongoing case we are dealing with it will be
allocated to the person handling your case.

If your email was about a case you have already submitted, but is yet to
be allocated to one of our case officers your email will be added to your
original correspondence and will be considered when your case is
allocated.

If you require any further assistance please contact our Helpline on 0303
123 1133 or 01625 545745 if you prefer to use a national rate number.

Thank you for contacting the Information Commissioner's Office

Yours sincerely

ICO Customer Contact Department

show quoted sections

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 Fax: 01625 524 510 Web: www.ico.gov.uk