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Q&A: Facebook exec defends site’s privacy policies By Sharon Gaudin
Computerworld – Social networking giant Facebook has been taking it hard on the chin lately as critics contend that recent upgrades to the site and a bug that lets users view their friends’ chat sessions raise a bevy of privacy issues.
However, in an interview with Computerworld yesterday, one Facebook executive insisted that users are happy with recent changes to the site despite the hornet’s nest of controversy stirred up by online pundits and commentators. Ethan Beard, director of Facebook’s developer network, noted that the millions of users that have joined Facebook’s social network did so specifically to share information.
Beard also talked about the social network’s controversial privacy settings, why users’ information isn’t private by default, and reports that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that people shouldn’t expect online privacy.
What was the glitch this week that exposed private chats? I don’t know the specifics of it. We take privacy very, very seriously here. We try to give out users control over the privacy of their data. At times you’re going to have technical issues that we will work to address very, very quickly.
Were you surprised by the level of criticism of Facebook’s plan to allow user information to be shared with third-party Web sites? In some ways, yes. We think a lot about our users and privacy when we’re building products. Our goal is to make sure we’re delighting users. I think the response from users that we’ve seen from the products we launched at [Facebook’s F8 developer conference late last month] has been quite positive. People are actively opting-in to engage with the social Web. The response from users speaks very, very loudly that they love what we’re doing. I think there’s a lot of other talk that’s not coming from users necessarily. There’s been a lot of interest from the media, from organizations and officials. But to be honest, the user response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Are you saying the outrage has centered in the press? I can’t say where it’s coming from, but our users are very happy with it.
How do you respond to those who say Facebook’s privacy settings are complicated and confusing to navigate through? I think that privacy is a complicated matter and each individual’s view on privacy and how one thinks about it is quite nuanced. How I think about privacy and how I want to share my information is probably quite different from you. It requires us to create very sophisticated tools to deal with all these nuances and give people the control they want. It’s quite complicated, so you end up with sophisticated controls, which end up being fairly complicated to use. We try to walk a balance between the two.
Are you working on ways to make the privacy settings easier to use? We’re always looking to make our controls better and simpler to use. We don’t have any specific changes to talk about right now.
Wouldn’t switching from having users opt-out of strong privacy setting solve some of the issues? The reason that people use Facebook is to share information with their friends and to connect with things that are important to them. Sharing is not inherently a private activity. Frequently, we’ve found is that people want to share more and more broadly. You can’t start completely private. That doesn’t serve the purpose of helping people share information.
Do the concerns of U.S. Senators raise the stakes of the Facebook privacy debate? It’s a testament to the impact that we’re having on the world.
How can Facebook and social networks in general maintain today’s phenomenal growth and avoid becoming simply a fad like the pet rock? The social aspect of what’s going on in the Web is not new. Before the Internet, the first apps built … were to communicate. E-mail was one of the first. [Finding ways] to connect with people and share with people has been going on for thousands and thousands of years. The information we really care about is the information we share with each other. I don’t think that’s a fad. I think it’s part of a longer-term historical trend.
What new features are you working on now? We worked pretty hard to get everything ready for F8 two weeks ago. To be honest, we’re catching a bit of a breather.
Has the recent reports that Facebook CEO Zuckerberg said he doesn’t care about privacy caused much trouble for the company? I don’t think Mark Zuckerberg really said that. The amount of time, energy, effort and resources to make sure that our users have control is a testament to how importnt it is that our users have privacy. Anything to the contrary is not true.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at 
@sgaudin, or subscribe to Sharon’s RSS feed 
. Her e-mail address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.
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Weekend News and Reviews …
Sunday …and it’s Mother Day …
it’s clear BP is having trouble getting the make shift dome into place … which should have been made before drilling … is that a novel idea or maybe just one of many things BP was obviously willing to risk… maybe a list of things to do or have available if something happens? like an emergency plan? it’s a nice day in the 206… again…drinking coffee watching the screen for our President to announce his Supreme Court Nominee and yes most of us stayed up to watch Betty White; she was great and can’t wait to see her on the new show.
It’s Saturday, the weather here in the 206 is great this morning for shopping antique, thrift and or garage that is …outdoors all the way. It’s beautiful and hopefully will stay this way.
Apparently, a Ferry in the NYC rammed the Dock … more news to come but looks like engine issues or a stuck throttle … The BP oil spill has occupied all our minds and has put every thing on hold… the Gulf Coast economy will need major help; SO… if you live across the country like me and want to help … go to http://www.matteroftrust.org and see if you can do your part… sometimes you just have to.
The move to stop oil drilling; maybe evaluate or even push the need for Wind, Solar and Bio-fuel up to a higher priority and onto a faster track of development in the USA is now; now is the time to stop talking about the plans and start investing in wind,solar and bio-fuel production HERE in the USA .
How tough would it be to see oil cover a beach or lap to shore and have people say that it’s a natural thing ? … it’s not serious and will dissipate …WHAT? clearly the crazies are out in force and hopefully the sane out number them; though is anyone else find it disturbing that those who are pretending to know what is going on or spinning the disaster created on the Gulf Coast as a natural disaster. These are the same people stating the attempted bombings in NYC are the fault of our current President? uh check your history and admit this started long before the 2008 Presidential campaign and an issue that did not get solved … it’s very disturbing and those who are doing so should stop talking … period.
And just so the Pat Buchanan’s of the world know … The right person is in the office of President … i shudder to think where we would be with a McCain/Palin ticket … think of the flip flop the ex-Maverick has taken think of things he is now walked away from … is it that Purity Pledge that Republicans take ? which includes practicing exclusion? those that sided with the tea party group who did back McCain are now running from the tea party movement …the tea is not that strong …we have Republicans wanting to strip citizenship away from people, legalize racial profiling give Big Banks more or equal power as an individual and the list can go on.
The Senate vote of some 27 Democrats against Wall Street Reform is very disturbing; the financial reform debates are not over and Bernanke stated he is not waiting for Congress; though i am not sure what that means because most talkingheads feel Bernanke was apart of the problem.. is he planning on implementing the reform needed ? We all know Congress gets paid to work for We the People…& they let us down … ok maybe just me. While Wall Street Reform is not over yet it is clear that lobbyists and big Corporations have a hold on some on both sides of the aisle and though it does make sense it is disturbing and disappointing … the change that 53% voted for didn’t include those 27 Democrats i guess.
Other News … on Sunday
**Airports in Iceland and nearby are closed due to ash clouds
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C-SPAN …
Sunday …
Sen. Durbin on Legislative Work of 111th Congress
Joining C SPAN’s Newsmakers, Majority Whip. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) discusses the current debate in the Senate on financial reform legislation. He also looks at the status of other major legislative priorities heading into the 2010 midterm elections.
Previous NewsmakersSenate Continues Debate
On Monday, the Senate will begin its second week of work on financial reform legislation. (S. 3217), They are slated to take up Sen. Sanders’ (I-VT) amendment that would allow the Government Accountability Office to conduct limited audits of the Federal Reserve. Last week, Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) urged lawmakers to keep debate to a minimum, saying, “I can’t spend 24 hours on one amendment and accommodate people here.” His remarks came after members spent hours debating Sen. Shelby’s (R-AL) amendment on a new consumer protection agency, which was defeated 38 to 61.
WorldNewsVine: Sen. Sanders’ Amendment Saturday …
Entire Interview Sen Durbin and Financial Reform
News Conference Rep. Markey trip to Gulf Coast
State Department Press Briefing Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Philip Crowley
Pres. Obama Remarks on Jobs Report
Sec. Clinton: U.S. Committed to Vision of Nuclear Free World
As part of the “irreversible, transparent and verifiable steps” to reduce its nuclear arms, Sec. of State Clinton announced that the U.S. will publicize the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal. This was one of several actions by the Obama Administration to encourage world leaders to follow its nonproliferation agenda. Sec. Clinton also responded to Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad’s remarks, saying that Iran has failed to meet its responsibility and is in noncompliance with U.N. safeguard obligations.
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ThinkProgress.org …
ENVIRONMENT — AFTER BP OIL SPILL, SUPPORT FOR OFFSHORE DRILLING HAS ‘FALLEN DRAMATICALLY’: After the Obama administration announced in March that it would “approve new oil and gas drilling off U.S. coasts for the first time in decades,” a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 72 percent of U.S. voters believed that offshore oil drilling should be allowed — the highest level of support for drilling that Rasmussen had found in nearly three years of surveying. But now, two weeks after the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Rasmussen has found that support for offshore drilling has “fallen dramatically.” Its telephone survey found that support has dropped 14 points; today, “58% of voters believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed.” Rasmussen notes that while most still support drilling, “69% are at least somewhat concerned that offshore drilling may cause environmental problems. That’s up from 49% in March.” The Rasmussen poll also found that 43 percent of voters rate President Obama’s response to the major oil leak as good or excellent while just 26 percent view the President’s response as poor. Only 29 percent “say the response of BP and Transocean has been good or excellent, while 28 percent rate it as poor.” The BP spill claimed its first ecological victim Thursday, as oil has hit the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana’s coast. The islands encompass the Breton National Wildlife Refuge and are considered ecological “treasures.”
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New ad from FDL …
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Oil just hit land in Louisiana, while the well beneath the sunken oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico continues to gush more than 200,000 gallons of oil a day into the ocean. There will be untold devastation to wildlife and the environment for years to come. Offshore oil drilling is far too dangerous as it stands. Expanded offshore drilling shouldn’t be considered in light of the BP oil disaster. But that’s exactly what President Obama plans to do. We’ve got to show the consequences of offshore oil drilling to put a stop to future drilling plans. So we’re launching a TV ad against offshore drilling to air in Washington, DC, featuring images of the destruction in the Gulf, and using President Obama’s own words. Can you chip in $20 to help run our ad against offshore drilling? Click here to donate now and watch our ad: http://action.firedoglake.com/SpillHereSpillNow The world learned how unprepared big oil companies are in the case of an accident, and how few remedies exist for such massive spills. We’ve learned how much money big oil spent buying off elected officials, and in turn, how unwilling those officials are to punish and hold them accountable. It’s difficult to watch the disaster unfolding, knowing there’s little you can do to stop the inevitable destruction. It’s even more difficult to know that President Obama wants to build even more offshore oil rigs and put more of our oceans at risk. While we can’t do much to stop this spill, we can still do all we can to make sure we don’t invite another disaster by expanding offshore drilling. That’s why we’re running this TV ad in Washington, DC to make our message heard loud and clear. Click here to donate to run our TV ad telling Obama to say no to offshore drilling: http://action.firedoglake.com/SpillHereSpillNow In the wake of the explosion in the Gulf, more than 30,000 people signed our petition to end all plans for offshore drilling exploration. The Obama Administration soon announced that it would put all new offshore drilling projects on hold, pending an investigation of the rig explosion. But just putting offshore drilling on hold is not enough. We need to keep pressuring the Obama administration to do the right thing and cancel all future drilling plans. We want to run this television ad in Washington, DC to show that expanding offshore drilling is too dangerous, and delivers too few benefits. And we’re going to do it by showing what happens when millions of gallons of oil spill into our oceans. http://action.firedoglake.com/SpillHereSpillNow Thanks for all you do. Jane Hamsher P.S. Firedoglake will continue our daily coverage at our dedicated BP Oil Disaster resource page, featuring reporting, photos, video, volunteer information and action alerts. Check it out: |
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