TORONTO - The office of Canada's privacy commissioner says Facebook has yet to address some of her concerns about what happens to profiles of users who die.
This week, the social networking site has been reminding members about a service that "memorializes" profiles of deceased users at the request of friends and family members.
Various online reports suggested Facebook was changing how it dealt with the accounts of deceased users, but a spokeswoman for privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart says the site isn't really doing anything new.
In August, Stoddart's office released a report expressing concerns about how the social networking site deals with the personal information of users, including those who die.
Stoddart wants to ensure that users realize that their personal information could remain online, even after death.
Facebook will take down an account if requested by a deceased user's family or friends.
Facebook has indicated it intends to update its privacy policy and will disclose what happens to a user's information after they die, but has yet to do so.
Memorializing a profile changes privacy settings so no further status updates can be made, contact information is hidden, and only confirmed friends can access the profile.
Facebook has more than 300 million active users worldwide, including about 12 million in Canada.
