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Filed under: Social Software, web 2.0

Facebook users approve new privacy policy

Facebook made a promise earlier this year to listen to user input about any changes to its terms of service and privacy policy, and so far they've followed through. Facebook opened up a comment period on an update to the privacy policy earlier this month, and now the users have spoken and approved the changes. During the process, the Facebook Site Governance fan page doubled its membership, growing to almost 500,000 fans.

The new privacy policy was written from scratch, so it's hard to point to item-by-item changes. In general, the new terms are stricter about the kind of data Facebook can share with third parties, and the degree of access advertisers have to Facebook users. Facebook has raised the ire of users in the past with programs like Facebook Beacon (which published your activity on third-party sites to your Facebook account). Beacon has been discontinued under the new privacy policy.

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[via AppScout]

Filed under: News, Web services, Microblogging

Twitter tweaks terms of service, may be paving the way for ads

The Twitter team just announced changes to the site's Terms of Service with a mass email and a blog post. The thrust of the post, written by Twitter's Biz Stone, is that not much has changed.

The change deal with spam, use of Twitter's APIs, ownership of tweets, and the possibility of Twitter advertising, and Biz's description of them is peppered with phrases like, "as we've said before" and "according to the rules we've been operating under for some time."

Although not much has changed, Twitter may be using the announcement to start getting users accustomed to potential advertising on the site. The new terms have this to say about ads:
The Services may include advertisements, which may be targeted to the Content or information on the Services, queries made through the Services, or other information. The types and extent of advertising by Twitter on the Services are subject to change.

Biz says this is about keeping options open, but being up front with users that ads are one of those options could hold off a firestorm if they start showing up later. You still own your own tweets, and Twitter can still broadcast them through all of its services (including APIs).

The entire document's a lot more clear and unambiguous, even in the areas where the basic effect of the terms hasn't changed. Basically, Twitter is growing up, and it needed a more grown up TOS document.

Filed under: Internet, Social Software, web 2.0

Facebook Tightens Grip on Status Updates

Facebook announced the next round of changes and additions to their "Statement of Rights and Responsibilities," -- the terms of service document that governs -- the popular social networking website.

The document has received some criticism in the past (ahem).

One of the more interesting changes? Users are now prohibited from using their Facebook profile for direct profit. That means selling your status updates to someone willing to pay for the exposure is now a big no-no.

Will this stop companies from profile spamming for fame and fortune? Twitter is already over-run by every Tom-Dick and Marketer. Most users won't mind the change, but the comment period runs from now until August 18th, so, go ahead spam cowboys, tell Zuck how you feel.

Filed under: Internet, Blogging, web 2.0

Facebook sez, "Don't mind us, we're just whoring out your photos"

Follow up: AllFacebook pointed out that this was a bit off the mark. The ad was created by a third-party advertising network using Facebook's API. Their post cautions "Facebook continues to let third party ad networks use your photos as well, and making the privacy setting changes outlined in this viral message will not remove your photos from third party ad networks."

How do you feel about what Facebook does with your content? Post your thoughts on our Ask DLS post!

[original post below]

But it's OK. Really!

See, according to Facebook it's all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I'm not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot -- although he suspected she wasn't single. You guessed it, that's his wife - consultant Cheryl Smith.

Is this not the same Facebook that just went back and retooled a TOS that users found objectionable? Didn't they just finish apologizing and kissing our butts over the crapstorm that ensued?

Here's what the Facebook settings page has to say:
Facebook occasionally pairs advertisements with relevant social actions from a user's friends to create Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads make advertisements more interesting and more tailored to you and your friends. These respect all privacy rules.
All you have to do to prevent this is sign in to Facebook and click through to (get ready) -> Settings -> Privacy -> News Feed and Wall -> Facebook Ads -> Appearance in Facebook Ads and click "no one." Unless, of course, you want to be semifamous and have your picture used to push some garbage product or website without your knowledge. (note: when I tried to make this change just now, the site returned an error. oh, and it might not work in Firefox either due to a 'bug.')

I guess since we can turn this abomination off we shouldn't get too worked up about it. Still, it's pretty damn unsavory to use someone's friend's face to advertise a product and give the appearance that that friend might endorse it.

Yes, if it had been my wife's face staring back at me I would have had a good laugh. And when I stopped, I would have been right pissed that Facebook thinks this qualifies as "acceptable use."

Update: curiously, though my setting was "only my friends" earlier and I was unsuccessful changing it myself it has somehow changed to "no one." Did Facebook just pull a switcheroo to save face?


[via End of Web]

Filed under: News, Social Software, web 2.0

Facebook adopts new principles, asks for user feedback


After a move to draconian terms of service that included taking ownership of practically all user content, Facebook caught such a big backlash from users that it had to roll back to the old terms. Now Mark Zuckerberg has posted on the Facebook blog with some info about how Facebook will handle its terms of use going forward. The plan is to proceed according to some new "principles" and solicit user feedback about changes.

So, what are these principles?

Well, in spite of the misstep toward owning user data, one of Facebook's new principles is that users own their own content. The others are equality (same terms for every user), free flow of information, freedom to share, no more arbitrary removal of accounts, and transparency about future plans and changes.

Comments are open now on these proposed principles, and on the corresponding new "rights and responsibiities" document.

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