FaceBook users can expect a growing number of controls to
protect personal information posted on the social networking site
amid increased concerns about privacy.
In recent weeks FaceBook has been hit by a series of
malicious applications aimed at stealing user information.
Users were outraged when FaceBook laid claim to all rights in
perpetuity to material posted on the site in new terms and
conditions, forcing an almost immediate reversal of the
decision.
But the site now plans to introduce more user controls over who
can view personal information,
Chris
Kelly, chief privacy officer at FaceBook, told the
eCrime Congress 2009 in London.
"Users' top concern is lack of control of information online, so
FaceBook will continue to add layers of control over who can see
what," Chris Kelly said.
The planned controls include the ability for users to put
contacts into different groups and allow only certain groups to
access specific information item by item.
FaceBook should be viewed mainly as a technology company that
has always tried to promote a culture of control over information,
said Kelly,
The company built in technical controls from the start to
authenticate users and enable them to share information only with
approved contacts.
FaceBook puts its number of users at around 175 million, but
less than 0.1% of those profiles are available to the average user,
said Kelly.
The planned privacy enhancements extend these original privacy
controls based on the principle that users should be able to limit
the exposure of personal information to others, he said.
According to Kelly, FaceBook has also devoted extensive
resources into automated security measures to protect users from
unauthorised access to information and physical harm.
"FaceBook has put technology in place to enforce rules around
minors so their information is not available to over-18s as a
general rule," he said.
The site protects users by enabling them to report abuses such
as fake profiles and offensive behaviour. Reports are followed up
by an investigation team within 24 hours, said Kelly.
FaceBook's user operations and investigation team deal with
hundreds of thousands of user contacts a week, feeding information
back into automated controls to make them more effective, he
said.
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