Evidence Mounts of Facebook Backlash

A survey suggests that many Facebook users are considering leaving the service, while Facebook itself is considering revising its privacy settings in response to US and European Union criticism.

Last year the social networking site changed the default privacy settings of millions of its users, introducing 50 new, related settings with 170 different options. And since the end of last month it has possible for external websites to gain access and republish Facebook data.

Facebook changes unacceptable

A US senator criticised the privacy changes recently, saying the opt out procedure was “confusing” and “unclear”. And last week the European Union’s privacy watchdog, the Article 29 Working Party, last week stated that the changes “unacceptable”.

To rub salt into the wound, yesterday security vendor Sophos released the results of a survey of over 1,500 Facebook users. Over two thirds said they were considering abandoning the site over the privacy concerns, while 16% claimed to have already stopped using Facebook as a result of inadequate control over their data.

“This poll shows that the majority of users are fed up with the lack of control that Facebook gives users over their data,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. “Most still don’t know how to set their Facebook privacy options safely, finding the whole system confusing. What’s needed is a fundamental shift towards asking users to ‘opt-in’ to sharing information, rather than to ‘opt-out’.”

In response to the criticisms of Facebook’s privacy policy, a number of campaigns, including a “Quit Facebook Day,” have been designed to further public awareness of the issues.

“A mass exodus from Facebook seems unlikely, but Facebook members are clearly getting more interested in knowing precisely who can view their data,” continued Cluley. “People use Facebook to share private information and are unlikely to want their holiday snaps or new mobile number accidentally popping up all over the internet.”

He added that Facebook will need to make sure further changes to the privacy policy are clear, concise and in the interest of making it easier for members to know exactly who has access to whatever they chose to upload.

This week, in response, a number of media outlets including the BBC and Channel 4 News have reported that Facebook is will acknowledge the criticism levelled at it in the next few days – even though the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg suggested privacy is no longer a social norm earlier this year – while changes to the new settings are said to be in the works.

And last week, the site tightened security as it dealt with the continuing fallout over its privacy setting changes.

But the company has, so far, yet to issue any official response to its critics.