Social Media giant Facebook has launched two new features to help businesses better protect people’s privacy and respond to privacy requests following the introduction of the new European Union GDPR legislation last week.
The two new features should assist the developers to comply with the new data protection requirement for doing business in the EU.
The first of this new tools is the provision of a ‘callback URL’. This allows the automatic deletion of a request for data to be deleted. Basically, if a user removes an app or website from Facebook’s apps and websites settings, Facebook will ask them if they would like all their information sent to the app from Facebook to be deleted.
The option allows businesses to automate customer service requests and to show people that they are handling their information responsibly in accordance with GDPR and other compliance requirements. It can be enabled at an app’s Facebook Login Settings page in the app dashboard, and the callback must use HTTPS. Furthermore, if the data deletion request is implemented, “it must initiate the deletion of any data” that an app has from Facebook about the user.
The second new feature allows businesses to provide the contact details of their Data Protection Officer (DPO). Companies can “designate and publish contact information for a Data Protection Officer (DPO).” A company’s DPO’s must help processing sata requests and ensure that everything is done in compliance with GDPR.
Facebook engineer Ethan Goldman-Kirst stated, speaking about the introduction of these new features said “the experience on Facebook will inform people when they sent a request and when it was acknowledged by your service. It will also provide them with a confirmation number you supply and a way to check the status of their request.”