Scandinavian officials pose Facebook query

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 12 (UPI) -- Scandinavian officials say they've asked social network giant Facebook questions concerning the company's handling of user's personal information.

The joint venture by data protection authorities is meant to gain better understanding about how the world's largest social network handles personal data, The Local reported Monday.

Data protection authorities in the Nordic countries have posed a number of questions to social networking giant Facebook regarding the company's handling of users' personal details.

Norwegian officials said they received numerous complaints from the public concerning Facebook's use of personal information. An investigation, resulting in a case study on Facebook, was undertaken and the findings, along with questions, were sent to officials of the social network, The Local said.

The questions for the California company were developed by agencies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Faeroe islands, Finland and the Aland Islands.

Norway's Data Inspectorate said it found, despite Facebook's policy to tell users how personal data is treated, officials said they found it difficult for users to wade through a lot of information and to understand fully the impact belonging to Facebook has on privacy.

The agencies asked Facebook to respond by the end of August.