Regulating Facebook
By Tim Shoemaker
Whether you love it, or hate it, Facebook has changed the way people interact, stay in touch with old friends, network, etc... Last week, the company announced they have surpassed 500 million users and Congress has set their cross-hairs on the organization after several highly publicized privacy policy changes.
Company executives testified in two separate congressional hearings this week, answering lawmakers' questions about online privacy and the risks posed to consumers who share personal details online.
Both the House and Senate are considering legislation that would place sweeping new rules around how Internet companies are allowed to collect, share and store sensitive information for advertising purposes. Bret Taylor, Facebook's chief technology officer, warned senators Tuesday that imposing vague technological regulations would stifle online innovation.
In April, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led a group of senators in demanding that the company implement easier-to-use privacy controls. Schumer also sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission calling for regulators to come up with clear rules for Facebook and other social networks.
Congress is once again wading into something they do not understand and do not belong engaging in. People join Facebook voluntarily and put whatever information they choose on their profile. As far as I know, noone has been forced to join Facebook against their will (maybe in extreme cases their friends peer-pressured them into it).
While I would certainly agree with Sen. Schumer the privacy controls on Facebook should be simpler, this is an issue that should be dealt with between the users and the company, not a third party regulator creating arbitrary guidelines.
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