Facebook Settles With FTC, Admits Privacy Violations

Animats writes "Facebook has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public. The settlement is soft on Facebook; there are no fines or criminal penalties. According to the FTC, in December 2009, Facebook 'changed its website so certain information that users may have designated as private – such as their Friends List – was made public. Facebook didn't warn users that this change was coming, or get their approval in advance.' Among the other complaints (PDF), 'Facebook represented that third-party apps that users' installed would have access only to user information that they needed to operate. In fact, the apps could access nearly all of users' personal data – data the apps didn't need.'" The settlement demands that Facebook avoid any new deceptive privacy claims, and also that users must give explicit permission for changes to be made to their privacy preferences. Facebook will be audited every two years for the next two decades to make sure they're holding up their end of the settlement. In a lengthy statement on Facebook's blog, Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that they'd made mistakes.

Comments

Mixed Feelings.

[forkfail]

On the one hand, good on the FTC. Especially for the followup reviews.

On the other hand, this once again proves that it's far easier to just do something contractually and ethically questionable yet massively profitable and wiggle out of the consequences later (especially if you've the money for a squadron of lawyers) than to do things above the board from the get go.

Re:Mixed Feelings.

[dr.banes]

On the one hand, good on the FTC. Especially for the followup reviews.

On the other hand, this once again proves that it's far easier to just do something contractually and ethically questionable yet massively profitable and wiggle out of the consequences later (especially if you've the money for a squadron of lawyers) than to do things above the board from the get go.

Yeah, better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission.

Re:Mixed Feelings.

[oh_my_080980980]

Too big to fail eh? What you do is fine them. Hit them in the pocket book. That's what you are suppose to do.

FYI Facebook is not based in Ireland. That's for accounting practices.

Re:Mixed Feelings.

[msauve]

"Facebook is based in Ireland"

Huh? No, they're not, although they could certainly have a subsidiary incorporated there.

Re:Mixed Feelings.

[Chewbacon]

Agreed. The damage is done and irreversible and Facebook is getting off pretty much free for it. All of those companies that had accessed that data is sitting on top of it now and can do whatever they would like with it.

Re:Mixed Feelings.

[E IS mC(Square)]

Almost every human on planet = roughly 6 billion people (out of 6.7 billion estimated)

so 0.8 billion is almost same as 6 billion. Things you learn on slashdot these days.

Re:Mixed Feelings.

[hedwards]

The difference is that Google sells views and Facebook sells information. Both are potentially worrying, but of the two I'd be a lot more concerned about Facebook.

Re:Mixed Feelings.

[cffrost]

[...] Facebook has become part of life for almost every human on earth[.]

For those of us who take a longer view, Facebook has become a part of our HOSTS file(s).

Mistakes?

[jazman_777]

Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that they'd made mistakes.

Because they don't believe they did wrong. They really believe they made mistakes, the first of which was "get caught."

Re:Mistakes?

[dkleinsc]

Well, neither does the FTC really. If they did, they might have introduced some actual penalties rather than a slap on the wrist.

Re:Facebook is evil and parasitic

[forkfail]

Probably never.

Why? Because they fill a niche, and do it well. And the thing about social networks is this: whoever is the biggest is probably going to stay the biggest at this point. It's no good joining a social network that none of your friends use. And to some folks, Facebook is the internet.

Not saying this is a good thing, or right - just my observations on the way that things are.

Wouldn't trust Zuckerberg to watch my dog

[dtjohnson]

I wouldn't trust Zuckerberg to watch my dog and yet 100s of millions of people entrust his company with their most personal information. Odd, that.

An interesting penalty...

[homsar]

Facebook broke the law. As punishment, Facebook has to promise not to do it again, and be monitored to make sure it keeps its promise. I guess Facebook is only seven years old, and since companies have the same rights as people (apparently), I guess it makes sense they are given punishment befitting a person of that age.

Re:An interesting penalty...

[CmdrPony]

Facebook didn't break the law, and FTC isn't a law enforcement agency. They just broke practices FTC didn't like, and as FTC still does have some saying (just because of their standing), Facebook agreed to such settlement. Settlement.

Every two YEARS??

[webdog314]

In Facebook's case those audits should probably be about once every two months... There was a new violation (location tracking) on the iOS mobile app just this week.

Re:Facebook is evil and parasitic

[dkleinsc]

This is pointing out one of the many problems with social network BS: The word "friend" has been hijacked and turned into "somebody you kinda sorta know from somewhere" rather than "somebody you choose to spend significant amounts of time with but isn't a family member".

Nobody has 300 real friends, I promise you that much.

What kind of time scale does the FTC use?

[Zadaz]

Every two years for two decades!?!?!??!

I bet all my private information that Facebook won't be around in 20 years. And 2 years is enough time to cause a ridiculous amount of damage when you have a billion users.

I bet they're quaking in their repentant boots.

Re:Facebook is evil and parasitic

[epine]

Chums, chumettes, and granfallooners.

Re:Facebook is stupid and bannal

[IGnatius T Foobar]

It's even simpler than that. There will soon be a generation of kids who wouldn't be caught dead on the same social network as their parents. Eventually, we will get to a point where Facebook will be for old people, just like email is considered by the under-25 set now.

Now you kids get off my lawn!

Re:FTC is doing a good job

[icebike]

Not only did they slap Facebook [on the back] for privacy violations, but also Google

They're getting another two years to put things in order before the first audit, then they get to do a half-year-screw-everyone, half-year-clean-up-the-mess between year-long audits.

Further: The settlement is soft on Facebook; there are no fines or criminal penalties.

So in addition to getting away Scott free, they have two years to clean up their act, by which time the opt-ins will be in place but so disguised and muted that users will fall into the same trap.

Facebook users don't care about privacy, the whole point of Facebook is and always has been a meat market method of self promotion. Facebook knows this and will simply make it so limiting to do anything except opt-in that most users will simply check the Opt-In-to-Everything box.

Yeah! Take that!

[Sir Realist]

Now do better next time, or we'll politely ask you to do better next time again!