Facebook submitted responses to the inquiry from privacy lawmakers

Facebook last week responded to a host of questions from congressmen playing key roles in the future of online privacy regulations.

Facebook submitted responses to the inquiry in a 13-page document dated October 29, and signed by the company's VP Global Public Policy Marne Levine. The firm stressed that no privacy breach occurred when user IDs (UIDs) were transferred between Facebook and third-party app developers. Facebook also said that all ad networks must delete Facebook UIDs in order to operate on its platform.

Facebook told the congressmen it receives no "remuneration, financial or otherwise" from sharing information with third-party firms, and added, "Facebook expressly prohibits application developers from selling user data and from transferring user data to such companies."

Facebook also stressed that the transference of UIDs "is not a Facebook-specific issue" because "in the course of its normal operation on the Internet, the browser includes the referrer URL in its request to the third party." The firm said it is "working to launch an industry-wide initiative to equip browsers with privacy controls that would prevent such inadvertent passing of information," and added, "In the coming months, we expect to work with such manufacturers to enable users to control the passage of information via referrer URLs."

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