Facebook is expected to announce today that it plans to give
third-party developers greater access to user-generated content to
enable them to build new services, according to the
Wall Street Journal.
This will mean developers can build services that can access,
with users' permission, the photos, videos, notes and comments
users upload to Facebook.
Developers could, for example, build a service that associates
the photos a user had uploaded to Facebook with their account on
another Web site, like an email service, the report said.
Facebook will ensure users' privacy settings will extend to any
new services built in an attempt to persuade users it is safe to
allow third-party developer access to their content.
The move is likely to be aimed at bringing Facebook in line with
micro-blogging service Twitter that has opened up many of its core
features to developers.
Until now Facebook has tightly controlled the look and feel of
its service and how developers can interact with it.
The social networking site has been criticised for the
restrictions on and limitations of its service that allows people
to connect with their Facebook friends on other Web sites.
Facebook is not expected to charge developers for access to
user-generated content, indicating that the move is aimed at
encouraging users to interact more often with the site.
Facebook is also expect to announce that developers can interact
with Facebook data using an open technology standard that other Web
sites can also use to broaden the service's appeal.
If introduced, user adoption is not guaranteed considering the
strong reaction when Facebook tried to change terms and conditions
affecting user-generated content in February and was forced to back
down to
appease angry users.