Facebook's privacy struggles
The Wall Street Journal devoted the front page of its "Marketplace" section to a report on Facebook's struggles with privacy advocates, regulators like FTC, and, at times, even its own employees.
The company can't afford not to act. The Federal Trade Commission is taking a close look at how online social networks are using people's data, and people close to the matter say it is increasingly focused on Facebook. <...>
A group of senators led by Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) called on Facebook to roll back the changes and more than a dozen privacy groups lodged a complaint with the FTC on grounds that Facebook was displaying user information without their consent.
Facebook faces a herculean task of keeping personal information of its 500 million subscribers private and secure. Privacy is a major stumbling block for this young company, which hopes to earn billions in ad revenues by using the private data it collects from its subscribers.
Facebook must clearly articulate to its subscribers the privacy risks and security settings available to them; but, ultimately -- as the clever someecard, above, suggests -- the best way to ensure the privacy of one's personal information is not to share it with the world, via Facebook or any other online social networking site.
"Facebook Grapples With Privacy Issues," Wall Street Journal (May 19, 2010).
