Japan challenges Facebook to improve the security of its users

Image: AZUHIRO NOGI / AFP / Getty Images

The latest data breach on Facebook is pushing for control on the world stage.

On Monday, the Japanese government asked Facebook to be more proactive and transparent about the data protection of its users. Reuters learned of the claim through a statement from the Japan Commission for the Protection of Personal Information.

More specifically, the Japanese authorities want Facebook to strengthen the monitoring of third-party applications, inform users in case of problems and inform the government of any changes to its security infrastructure.

The letter would be a simple request. There is nothing legally binding or sanctioning.

Facebook's Facebook request comes after the social media company revealed that a breach of security had compromised the personal data of 29 million users. It also follows a year of scandal over how the British policy and data consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, has captured data from 87 million Facebook users and used that data to inform his targeted psychographic advertising on micro-targets.

In light of Facebook's very bad year, Japan is only the last country to tell the company to do better. The United States, Canada and the European Union have all held hearings and communicated with the company. Papua New Guinea even went so far as to ban Facebook in the country for a month, in order to assess the benefits versus the risks to the citizens.

Facebook was certainly more inclined to talk about the recent violation than Cambridge Analytica; it is clearly trying to do better under the word of the technological community, "transparency".

Now, there is only one government left to monitor each of its movements.