Multinational Corporations And Patchwork Privacy Laws: The Facebook Dilemma

Privacy and Access to Information

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada's recent report¹ in response to complaints filed by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic ("CIPPIC") in respect of certain Facebook practices presents an interesting glimpse into the struggles multinational corporations face when attempting to comply with privacy regimes of the multiple jurisdictions in which they operate. Each jurisdiction, of course, seeks to enforce its own, and often distinct, rules and regulations. The recent Facebook findings are proof positive that many of the same issues raised by Canada's patchwork of privacy regulation arise on an international level as well. Although the Commissioner's findings are specific to social networking sites (which the Commissioner characterizes as a "cultural phenomenon") her findings may, ultimately, have a far broader application across a wide range of commercial operations.