Ten Privacy Groups File FTC Complaint Against Facebook for Recent Privacy Changes
In the latest move by privacy advocates against Facebook’s recently revised privacy settings, ten groups have filed a complaint against Facebook with the Federal Trade Commission. The complaint says that recent changes, which we’ve covered in detail, “violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook’s own representations.”
The complaint was led by the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Other signees include the American Library Association, the Center for Digital Democracy, the Consumer Federation of Privacy Rights, Privacy Activism, the Privacy Rights Now Coalition, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and the U.S. Bill of Rights Foundation.
Facebook has fired back with the following statement:
We’ve had productive discussions with dozens of organizations around the world about the recent changes, and we’re disappointed that EPIC has chosen to share their concerns with the FTC while refusing to talk to us about them.
The company also tells MarketWatch that it has previously talked with the FTC about the changes.
Earlier this month, Facebook released a new set of privacy changes that encouraged users to make more of their information publicly available. The change has been criticized for not clearly telling users what information would be shared publicly. See our full analysis here.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Instead of making all friend list public, fb can make friend count info public.
December 18th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I hope all the developers and advertisers that may use this resource understand something. As this mistrust in facebook grows, people are both less likely to use Applications that pose a risk to privacy as well as delete or fake information of value for target marketing. This latest CHANGE that Facebook keeps trying to dismiss, while almost every media source is commenting negatively about (even NY Times and Wall Street Journal), could very well erode what has been a growing market. Wait til some bad story surfaces on network TV related to Facebook’s decision to make user’s info public.
May 26th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
[...] Der Schritt war fällig und ist nicht mehr als ein notwendiges Übel für Facebook, dessen man sich aufgrund des steigenden Drucks nicht mehr entziehen konnte. Fakt ist auch: Facebook bleibt grundsätzlich bei seinem Ansatz, User [...]
August 7th, 2010 at 3:48 am
Facebook will not let me log in my page it will ask questions then it will say come back later .
September 25th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
I logged in from a different computer, and facebook refuses to help me verify my account…I have sent them several requests, and they ignore me…there isn’t even any way to contact them directly. Submit a problem but they don’t reply.
January 4th, 2011 at 11:54 am
I am the father of a 17 years old teenage. She has been a member of facebook since the age of 13. I have followed Facebook and I am totally shocked about the vulgarity, lowlessness, lack of decency moral values and downright disgusting themes allowed here. Free sex, is commonplace among our young daughters. Drugs and alcohol, are frequent at parties, while family members look the other way. The school system and young couples, do NOT monitor this corrupt website, nor does Facebook. In the meantime, our youth is at it’s lowest point in history and NOBODY cares. You file a complaint and falls on deaf ears. WILL SOMEBODY HELP?
January 19th, 2011 at 11:50 am
My first FB account was compromised several weeks ago even though I had the highest privacy settings. FB asked me to submit a new password for security. I did and then deleted the account. My friends asked me to join FB again and I reluctantly agreed to do so. I joined again using another email address. I set up the account and logged on. FB locked me out once I logged on and told me that I had to give them a mobile phone number so they could text a confirmation code to me for security reasons. I did that and now I am told the confirmation code sent to me through a email message is invalid. I just want to log on once more so that I can PERMANENTLY DELETE my FB account and never darken their doors again.