Privacy Advocates Take Facebook Complaint To FTC
Privacy advocates are asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to force Facebook to reverse recent privacy control changes, claiming it is a furtive move to push members of the most popular social networking site to give out more information online.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) joined with the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and several other organizations in criticizing Facebook of violating U.S. consumer protection law, reported AFP.
"More than 100 million people in the United States subscribe to the Facebook service," said EPIC director Marc Rotenberg. "The company should not be allowed to turn down the privacy dial on so many American consumers."
Last week, Facebook starting asking users to take control of their online privacy by deciding who can see what on their personal Facebook page.
The more than 350 million members of Facebook are required to change their settings, using a new software tool that gives them the ability to determine who can see each photo, video, update or other piece of content they upload to the site in categories designated “Friends,” “Friends of Friends,” “Everyone” and “Customized.”
"The idea is to evolve, to give users better control of with whom they share when they share," Facebook vice president of global communications, marketing and public policy Elliot Schrage told AFP when the change was launched.
Facebook users can select a privacy setting for each post by using lock icons located next to the "share" icon on profile pages.
Facebook’s new policy has seriously eroded the privacy rights of its members," CDD executive director Jeff Chester said Thursday.
"The leading social network has not acted responsibly. It cannot be permitted to deliberately weaken the control its users have over their information just because it may boost its bottom line."
The official complaint notes the creation of protesting Facebook user groups such as "Facebook! Fix the Privacy Settings."
Facebook has countered the accusations, saying that its critics are misled and that time will prove that Facebook is taking "a giant step forward."
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