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Facebook To Eliminate Voting On Privacy Changes

Posted by timothy on from the three-sheep-and-a-wolf dept.

Orome1 writes "Facebook has announced some proposed updates to their Data Use Policy (how user data is collected and used) and their Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (explains the terms governing use of their services). These updates include new tools for managing Facebook Messages, changes to how they refer to certain products, tips on managing one's timelines, and reminders about what's visible to other people on Facebook. Elliot Schrage, Facebook's vice president of communications, public policy, and marketing, said: 'We found that the voting mechanism, which is triggered by a specific number of comments, actually resulted in a system that incentivized the quantity of comments over their quality,' he explained. 'Therefore, we're proposing to end the voting component of the process in favor of a system that leads to more meaningful feedback and engagement.'"

8 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Meangingful feedback & engagement? by gstoddart · · Score: 2

    It's called turn off the computer, go outside, and act like a human being for once in your god damn life.

    This is Slashdot, not Livestrong ... we don't go outside.

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    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  2. Democracy is doomed... by lucm · · Score: 3, Funny

    How can a crowd make a good decision: half of the voters are more stupid than the average.

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    lucm, indeed.
    1. Re:Democracy is doomed... by rmstar · · Score: 2

      How can a crowd make a good decision: half of the voters are more stupid than the average.

      Sorry to sabotage your joke, but that would be the median. If you have ten users, all of about the same moderate level of intelligence, and one really dumb, then 90% are above average.

      This being facebook, of course, 90% is below average.

    2. Re:Democracy is doomed... by chromas · · Score: 3, Funny
      • 1: Make joke
      • 2: ?
      • 3: Prophet!
  3. They didn't like the results ... by Dark$ide · · Score: 5, Insightful
    ... so they cancelled the poll.

    I didn't like their privacy system so I cancelled my FB account.

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    Sigs. We don't need no steenking sigs.

    1. Re:They didn't like the results ... by Mitreya · · Score: 2

      They didn't like the results ... ... so they cancelled the poll.

      But they didn't have to do anything (polling is not done by an independent agency), so why worry about poll results? More likely they found that poll participation resulted in better user awareness of just how bad FB privacy policy is.

      Funny how every change FB makes is for improving user feedback and privacy. Even two opposite changes manage qualify as an improvement in their PR speak.

  4. Voting? by Dan+East · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So the only people that should be allowed to "vote" are people that can contribute "quality" comments? Are they saying that having a large number of people vote is a bad thing, and they would prefer that fewer people vote but have a larger say because their comments are higher "quality"?

    You know, if FB had a dislike button to go along with the like button, then they would have an *actual* mechanism that could be used for voting.

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    Better known as 318230.
  5. Voting by guttentag · · Score: 2

    Stands on soap box
    I vote we keep the voting system! What do you mean I can't vote on it?