Outrage over Facebook's new policy; ability to control user information forever
 

NEW YORK - Tens of thousands of Facebook users are protesting new policies that they say grant the social-networking site the ability to control their information forever, even after they cancel their accounts.

Facebook's new terms of use, updated Feb. 4, largely went unnoticed until the popular consumer rights advocacy blog Consumerist.com pointed out the changes Sunday.

That prompted a clarification from Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, although the new terms remain in force. Zuckerberg told users in a blog post Monday that "on Facebook, people own their information and control who they share it with."


When someone shares a photo, a message or a status update telling friends what they are up to at the moment, they first need to grant Facebook a license so the site can pass that information along to authorized friends, Zuckerberg said. Without the license, he said, Facebook wouldn't be able to help people share information.

Zuckerberg said the new terms are necessary to reflect the fact that friends may retain a copy of that message or other information once a user shares it with them.

"Even if the person deactivates their account, their friend still has a copy of that message," Zuckerberg said. "We think this is the right way for Facebook to work, and it is consistent with how other services like e-mail work. One of the reasons we updated our terms was to make this more clear."



Zuckerberg did acknowledge that Facebook, which boasts 175 million users around the world, still has "work to do to communicate more clearly" about how information is shared on the site.

The rapidly growing site has had several run-ins with users over its short history.

In late 2007, for example, a tracking tool called "Beacon" caught users off-guard by broadcasting information about their shopping habits and activities at other Web sites. After initially defending the practice, Facebook ultimately allowed users to turn Beacon off.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Good thing I'm not on facebook. :D

In the end it's really up to the user what kinda of information they put on the INTERNET in general. Users are responsible for whatever they expose to mass media.....so there's really nothing much they can cry about it...

What scares me is when OTHER people takes picture of you WITHOUT your consent or even you knowing...and then go ahead and stick it on Facebook.....

People post way to much information on facebook. Birthday, current & former employers, etc etc...enough info for credit card scammers.

^ Or even employers will check out your facebook just to see what kind of wild life style you have after interviewing you....

^I Do not post those info up there.

I only post up my birthday without my year of birth for the public to see..

i dont see a huge deal in that as most users have their pages limited to only their friends.

Meh, facebook was going downhill ever since they added the applications and the new layout.

I guess the CIA been linked to Facebook rumors were true.

facebook is gay

I never put any crap up there, it's all SFW so to speak. That being said, if they start taking my shots and using them there'll be hell to pay. :mad:

Thank goodness I got Flickr Pro. :mad:

dam yea what if employers see pictures of u ..doing unprofressional stuff LOL

i mean look at Phelps ..he got dropped instantly lol

1CHAR

facebook ftw! i dont even use MSN messenger to chat anymore.

facebook is overrated

wtf? this is the stupidest crap ever. people will protest to a politician farting in office. it should be obvious that anything you put up on a public website (whether its only visible to your friends or not) is free game to the internet. the whole friggin point of facebook is to share crap you put on it.

if you dont want people to know you're born in january, presently unemployed, and like cupcakes and icecream, then don't put it up on facebook. i feel like protesting against idiots. i think we need less of them in our society

facebook is hella gay

i dont even use it

Just got this msg wen i signed onto fb:
"Over the past few days, we have received a lot of feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago. Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised.

If you want to share your thoughts on what should be in the new terms, check out our group Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities."

guess a lot of ppl don't like it =/

back to normal for now

Ditto. For now.

I think it's pretty ironic that you're "Protesting against idiots".....Yet you can't understand that it has a bigger affect then pointless pieces of information like your DOB or what you like to eat.

But really even that information could be useful from a Marketing perspective. Cupcakes are a horrible example but what if Kraft, or some other fucking cupcake making company, wanted to release a new type of cupcake, and needed to contact people who eat cupcakes to determine what they prefer in taste/ingredients/color/smell? Well, now FB can sell them that information in a nice, easy to use package, so they have all your information, and anyone else who eats cupcakes, and can start emailing you, mailing you, calling you (home or cell) and harassing you against your will.

What if an musician puts some new music on their facebook to share with friends?

What if a artist puts a new image up that took 40+ hours in Photoshop?

What if a photographer puts some new pictures up?

Starting a new business with a friend, or friends, and sharing information/discussing new ideas via PM? Or how about sharing new templates, logos, or new business ideas?

FB now has the ability to take that information, song, piece of art and do whatever the fuck they want with it, whether it's using (stealing) the business idea, selling the rights to the song, or sell the photo/digital image to some random magazine.

+1, awesome scenarios because it's very much possible with that new TOS they were trying to push on us. They're sneaky, trying to monetize and earn more off all that info/dirt on people they have amassed on their servers.

Facebook turned to shit ever since they allowed people who aren't students to create accounts.

Totally agree. Get those stupid adults and high school camwhores outta there grrr

someone start revbook.

We did. :lol

And this is quaint:
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8991/1211wb2.gif

http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech...ives/1211.html