Facebook and Transparency

Facebook has changed its privacy controls yet again, and many users are unhappy. The Guardian writes about FB's "megalomania" in wanting to control the web. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has prepared a timeline showing FB's movement away from privacy.

Information about FB users, the connections they make, the pages they like, the apps they use, all are at the heart of this matter. Marketers need data to do a better job of personalising communications and offers. FB fan pages are a wonderful way for marketers to stay in touch with people who like their goods and services.

However, every time FB changes its privacy controls, users have to go through the process of checking their old settings and understanding any new settings or they'll share more data more publicly than they expect. Some FB features can lead to unintentional info sharing, which users may not want.

More transparency, please: FB should opt for more privacy as the default setting and offer users the ability to share information more widely if they choose.