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Facebook Backs Down On New Feature In Light Of Privacy Concerns

January 21, 2011 by  

Facebook backs down on new feature in light of privacy concernsFollowing a backlash from privacy and Web-security advocates, Facebook has suspended plans to share its members' personal information with third-party application developers.

The social networking giant announced on Jan. 14 that it would make users' home addresses and cell phone numbers accessible to certain advertising companies. Over the weekend, privacy groups fired back and urged Facebook members to remove their private information from the website.

In a blog post on Jan. 18, Douglas Purdy, head of developer relations for Facebook, said that the feature will be shelved until the company can make adjustments that allow users to control where their personal information goes. In an interview with TechNewsWorld, Facebook spokesperson Malorie Lucich said that the intention of sharing information with third-party companies is to make online shopping easier for its members.

Security experts and privacy groups have criticized Facebook's efforts to share more information with advertisers.

"The ability to access users' home addresses will also open up more opportunities for identity theft, combined with the other data that can already be extracted from Facebook users' profiles," Graham Cluley of Sophos, an information technology security firm, told The Daily Mail. "You have to ask yourself — is Facebook putting the safety of its 500-plus million users as a top priority with this move?" 

Filed Under: Asset and Wealth Protection, Liberty News
Personal Liberty News Desk

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  • http://facebook larab

    many people use face book. many use picture, facebook needs to keep the privacy setting so if someone doesnt want pics of there family shown to ppl they dont know they dont have to warry. i dont want someone to steal pics of myself or my son and sell them or worst keep in there wallets.and as for the searching. there could be someone that doesnt want to be found by certain ppl, wrether its someone with a restraining order or a stalker. if i feel like someone was stalking me id wrether not be found, but still be able to talk to my friends

  • Lewis Munn

    Glad I was suspicious of Facebook and other social sites, and never signed up! Guess I was right!

  • JoMama

    500 plus million users – minus one.
    Thanks for the info!!!
    Take THAT Facebook!!!

  • meteorlady

    So people go to http://www.spokeo.com and enter your name. There are a number of sites out there that take your information and use it for profit. I tried to have my name taken OUT OF THEIR DATEBASE, but they want more information to do that then they have already. They will take it off their site for search purposes, but they still have your information and they are still using it for gain by selling to third parties.

    The bottom line here is that we need to get a law in place that they cannot take your personal information and use it for profit. It is one of my pet projects, but I need more people to get mad about it so they will also write their congressional leaders to complain.

    • ValDM

      I’ve gone to spokeo and seen my info. If they were right, then I would do something, but what they have on me isn’t accurate. So, let the buyer beware.

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