Will Facebook's privacy struggle finally end in January 2011?

While that question has yet to have an answer, the Wall Street Journal reports that the social network is currently conducting an investigation on the events that transpired earlier this month with the help of RapLeaf, a data broker who came forward to help Facebook with its mission. More importantly, the Facebook development team is working on a solution for app developers to able to share user data with content partners anonymously--which means no more User IDs being sent out--that will be mandatory by Jan 1. 2011, according to WSJ.

As the investigation continues, the company has suspended fewer than a dozen unnamed app and game developers from the website for six months for selling user information to equally anonymous data brokers. RapLeaf has agreed to delete all of its User ID data, but Facebook, who said the company is simply "the data broker who came forward to work with us on this situation," hasn't implied whether the company was guilty as well, WSJ reports.

Could this be the end of Facebook's struggle for privacy? (Doubtful.) If developers can provide user data anonymously to content partners, which we imagine would amount to mere numbers rather than specific information, our gaming experience could be vastly improved without the worry of being exposed to seedy Internet advertising agencies. We'll see what happens in 2011, but until then take care of yourself when you're out there farming.