Facebook Responds to EPIC FTC Timeline Complaint

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Facebook Responds to EPIC FTC Timeline Complaint

Posted by Unknown on Monday January 9, 2012 @01:44AM from the what-was-this-stranger-doing-ten-years-ago dept.

An anonymous reader writes with a snippet from a ZDNet article: "The Electronic Privacy Information Center is unhappy with the way Facebook launched its new Timeline profile. Last month, the privacy organization complained Facebook went too far because it started rolling out the redesign without asking users first. EPIC then followed up with a (four-page letter (PDF) to the Federal Trade Commission asking it to investigate the new feature to insure that it meets with the terms of a November 29th FTC-Facebook settlement. Facebook denies these claims, saying that the Timeline launch has nothing to do with its users' privacy."

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What it has to do with privacy? by DCTech · 2012-01-09 01:44 · Score: 5, Insightful

As far as I can see, the only change is how user profile is displayed. It's a cosmetic change. There is nothing visible that wasn't visible to begin with. The only change is that events and posts are grouped together based on their dates instead of that flat style that was before. But even then the dates were visible, they just weren't grouped together.
1. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by ThunderBird89 · 2012-01-09 01:53 · Score: 4
  
  And if he does? You just have to be smart with what information you enter, and what you do with it, and there, no risk at all.
  Seriously, there's no real reason to hate on Facebook, at the very least, not this time. As for the users, there's no reason to hate on them at all just because they use Facebook.
  
  --
  Hyperbole: I use it liberally!
2. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by sunr2007 · 2012-01-09 01:55 · Score: 2
  
  one of Facebook's motive is to confuse users as much it can with respect to privacy. Timeline is doing that. for e.g., if u enable timeline any person on FB can see where u are born , what u did in which year n all type of activities. It helps advertisers whom FB is selling your information.
3. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by slthytove · 2012-01-09 01:56 · Score: 2
  
  It's a cosmetic change. There is nothing visible that wasn't visible to begin with.
  Agreed. The backlash after any Facebook redesign is ridiculous. Now we have to complain to the FTC?
4. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by DCTech · 2012-01-09 02:04 · Score: 2
  
  Anyone could see those years and dates to begin with. They were always there. Timeline isn't helping advertisers in any way, nor is FB selling your information to them. That is their valuable asset, why would they be selling it? They run advertising system where you can somewhat target users, they're not selling information. And I've actually run a few ads on Facebook and you can't target that well, Google lets you target much more.
5. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by DCTech · 2012-01-09 02:05 · Score: 2
  
  Except that the last part doesn't happen as user has deleted them.
6. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by OzPeter · 2012-01-09 02:07 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  So you admit that you use Facebook?
  I also use facebook.
  And I also have 2 Macs and 2 Windows PC's on my desk where I run VMs with everything from W98 to 2008 server as well as a couple of variations of linux. I program in a host of languages doing things from websites to industrial control systems to smart phone apps. I use Yahoo messenger, and on occasion use my 3 hotmail accounts. I'll admit that my ICQ profile is probably long gone, and at one stage I did have an AOL account, but moved on to Earthlink.
  So has your little, puny AC head exploded yet?
  
  --
  I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
7. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by DCTech · 2012-01-09 02:08 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  On the same subject actually, I really wish Slashdot would remove those flickering social buttons on the posts. It's not even the fact that they're there (which is still somewhat ridiculous, but), it's the fact that they flicker as you move mouse. Makes it really hard to concentrate on actually reading the posts.
8. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by L4t3r4lu5 · 2012-01-09 02:17 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I have every reason to hate users of Facebook who enter information about me. I may not be on Facebook, but I can still be tagged in a photo, have my name used in a "Check in" style post, have my details entered as an invitation to join Facebook (thereby linking my email address to me, the person who submitted the invitation, any picture I am tagged in without my knowledge etc).
  
  I'm not paranoid, I just dislike the idea of my life being profiled by a private entity without my consent. I'm well aware that store / loyalty cards, CC companies etc do this; I accept that as part of the terms of service. What do I gain from Facebook?
  
  --
  Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
9. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by aaaaaaargh! · 2012-01-09 02:19 · Score: 2
  
  Seriously, there's no real reason to hate on Facebook [...]. As for the users, there's no reason to hate on them at all just because they use Facebook.
  Oh well, just as there was no reason to hate aol users in the 90ies...
10. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by fahrbot-bot · 2012-01-09 02:25 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Wait. I'm confused. There's privacy on Facebook? When did this happen?
  
  --
  It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
11. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by Nursie · 2012-01-09 02:26 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Adblock Plus - add a rule to block "http://a.fsdn.com/sd/commentshareicons.png"
  Seems to have fixed it for me, they are most annoying and I can't think of a time I have ever wanted to share someone else's slashdot post on social media sites.
12. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by _0xd0ad · 2012-01-09 02:49 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I went above and beyond and just blocked them everywhere.
  #a(href*=facebook.com/sharer) #a(href*=plusone.google.com/_/+1) #a(href*=twitter.com/intent)
  If that causes problems I might restrict them to slashdot.org. But it probably won't.
13. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by L4t3r4lu5 · 2012-01-09 03:49 · Score: 2
  
  Ha, good try. Your fake address is one "At $YourName's house for a kewl patray!" check in post + GPS coordinates away from being rendered useless.
  
  See, I used to have a Facebook account. However all I ever ended up doing was confirming the data which was personal by refusing to allow it to be published.
  
  --
  Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
14. Re:What it has to do with privacy? by luis_a_espinal · 2012-01-09 04:00 · Score: 2
  
  All of the things you mentioned annoy me too. That's one of the reasons why I have a Facebook account. Since I have an account, I can control the settings. If someone tries to tag me in a picture (and they do!), I get an email with a chance to approve it. I don't approve them, I go delete the tag from the picture. Facebook doesn't know where I live (fake address in a different state). They don't know my phone number. My security settings are pretty locked down and don't allow strangers to message me, etc. If you do this, you are better able to manage what people may post about you on Facebook than you can if you don't even have an account.
  ^^^ THIS.
Not a Facebook fan, but.. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-09 01:49 · Score: 4, Interesting

I'm not a Facebook fan at all, but if anything it appears to me that the new timeline and accompanying activity view make it easer to hide, delete and change the audience of individual items.
As a programmer... by Pionar · 2012-01-09 01:53 · Score: 4, Funny

The first thing I noticed in TFS was the unmatched parentheses.
1. Re:As a programmer... by troon · 2012-01-09 02:09 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I'm still waiting for the summary to finish...
  
  --
  Ydco co ,df C erb-y go. a Ekrpat t.fxrapev
2. Re:As a programmer... by _0xd0ad · 2012-01-09 02:41 · Score: 2
  
  That's what you get for reading TFS.
  I think I read the first sentence and the last sentence and completely ignored what came in between them.
Facebook? by bytesex · 2012-01-09 02:04 · Score: 4, Insightful

Facebook is not critical infrastructure (or even near it); users willingly and knowlingly signed up for what amounts to a toy. A toy with commercial motives.

--
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
1. Re:Facebook? by Tharsman · 2012-01-09 02:25 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Unfortunately, the way they work, they already have a profile on you even if you dont sign up on their serivce. So many websites add that "useful" Like button, that servers as a tracking trojan, that it's impossible to navigate without being caught and profiled by Facebook. They keep growing a profile on you even if you dont have an account. They'll just tie everything up the day you actually make an account to "check some friend's pictures" or something.
2. Re:Facebook? by Max+Romantschuk · 2012-01-09 02:27 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Facebook is no mere toy. Used properly it is an efficient communications platform. Not perfect by any means, but denying Facebook's strength as a communications platform is really quite ignorant.
  
  --
  .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
3. Re:Facebook? by Max+Romantschuk · 2012-01-09 05:10 · Score: 2
  
  What communication feature does Facebook have that email/IM does not?
  Tehnically: Nothing.
  In practice: I don't have to hunt for email addresses or tell my technically clueless friends how to use IM brand X. I just tell them that well talk/message on Facebook and from their perspective, things Just Work.
  
  --
  .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
Re:Remove social buttons from comments? by _0xd0ad · 2012-01-09 02:44 · Score: 4, Informative

Can, and already did. You can too.
Block them everywhere:
#a(href*=facebook.com/sharer) #a(href*=plusone.google.com/_/+1) #a(href*=twitter.com/intent)
or just on Slashdot:
slashdot.org#a(href*=facebook.com/sharer) slashdot.org#a(href*=plusone.google.com/_/+1) slashdot.org#a(href*=twitter.com/intent)
Bonus filters, no additional charge:
#a(href*=goat.) #a(href*=goatse.) slashdot.org#a(href*=/boredgeek) slashdot.org#a(href*=/geekatwork) slashdot.org#a(href*=/goo.gl/) slashdot.org#a(href*=/is.gd/)
ENSURE by Draque · 2012-01-09 03:04 · Score: 2

There's a reason that there are two different words, one meaning "a fiscal investment against mishap" and the other meaning "to make certain."
1. Re:ENSURE by mcgrew · 2012-01-09 06:31 · Score: 2
  
  Webster's Dictionary disagrees.
  Definition of INSURE
  transitive verb
  1: to provide or obtain insurance on or for
  2: to make certain especially by taking necessary measures and precautions
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
Hanlon's razor by luis_a_espinal · 2012-01-09 03:58 · Score: 3, Interesting

You might want to re-think who you want as your friends. If your "friends" are giving your personal information away to an entity who then sells it downstream to anyone who wants it, including most likely the big brother TLA agencies, I'd suggest those people are not actually friends.
Or maybe they are friends, but are not educated in the implications. May I suggest you familiarize yourself with Hanlon's razor before judging you don't know and their worthiness for friendship? I don't know, something to do with social skills, rational thought, humanism, or something.

My friends, somehow, do not do this to me. You need a better class of friends.
Wow, just wow.
1. Re:Hanlon's razor by luis_a_espinal · 2012-01-09 05:00 · Score: 2
  
  Wow, just wow.
  What, exactly, is wrong with expecting your so called "friends" to not betray your trust?
  Again, wow, just wow. Ignorance of what you desire is not an indication of betrayal. As I said before, Hanlon's razor, which what separates reasonable expectations and stupidity. It is stupid to take actions carried out of ignorance/innocence and attribute malice or betrayal connotations to it. Yes, it is stupid, regardless of how you want to rationalize it.