Facebook is currently in formal talks with the Federal Trade Commission over claims that the site violated users’ privacy. This comes as a result of changed default privacy settings which disclosed more information than was previously made public.
The settlement on the table would require that Facebook get consent before sharing material posted under earlier, more restrictive terms according to a source. This agreement would also require an independent review of Facebook’s privacy practices.
“In order to successfully issue its IPO, Facebook had to send a signal to investors that it’s putting the threat of regulatory intervention aside,” said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy.
“The FTC’s action is long overdue,” Marc Rotenberg, another executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the commission has to announce its final decision in this matter. The changes in Facebook privacy settings have continued to be the most frustrating online experience for Internet users.”
The complaint against Facebook includes reveal information like names, profile photos, lists of friends, pages they are fans of, gender, geographic regions and networks to which they belong. It was hoped that Facebook would adopt for more opt-outs for personal information, and some believe that the company is learning.
“There was a lot of confusion around the changes they rolled out in 2009,” said Justin Brookman, senior resident fellow of the Center for Democracy and Technology. “They’ve made improvements since then around the user controls.”
Source: BusinessWeek.com
