Facebook decided to delay the implementation of the new privacy policy until next week.
Despite the social networking company's claim that the decision was for them to have more time to review user comments, some believe that it was because of the letter sent by privacy groups to the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday.
The privacy policy change was announced on Aug. 28 and supposed to be effective on Sept. 5. The update on the "Data Policy" and "Statement of Rights and Responsibilities" aims to revamp how Facebook will collect personal information such as name, profile picture, and content that will be used in ads or commercials. The company stated that the shift in the legal language is for the users to clearly understand that they granting permission for the site to use their data.
Six groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, have signed the letter sent to FTC complaining about the violation of the privacy policies the users have originally signed up for.
“The Federal Trade Commission must act now to protect the interests of Facebook users,” the letter said. “The right of a person to control the use of their image for commercial purposes is the cornerstone of modern privacy law.”
FTC declined to comment about the letter but has confirmed in Bloomberg that they have received the letter.
Facebook clarified in the in an e-mail to the Huffington Post that the delay is not related to the letter.
“We are taking the time to ensure that user comments are reviewed and taken into consideration to determine whether further updates are necessary and we expect to finalize the process in the coming week," Facebook spokesperson Debbie Frost wrote.
However, the executive director for Center for Digital Democracy, another group in the letter, disagreed. "Facebook is being forced to justify its latest grab of user data to D.C. regulators," Jeffrey Chester told the L.A Times.
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