newjerseynewsroom.com

BY CHRISTINE SAVOIA

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Good news, Facebook users. You have until Friday, June 8 to wield your voting power in favor or against amendments to Facebook’s privacy policy.

The first time Facebook allowed users to vote in such an instance was back in 2009, when, according to NorthJersey.com, Facebook was a much smaller, privately held company with fewer than 200 million users.

With over 900 millions users today and having recently launched its IPO – with the stock’s performance declining 26 percent in the last two weeks – Facebook has been relatively quiet about this new voting opportunity.

An announcement from the company admits that the “vast majority of the proposed changes represent additional explanations of current practices rather than substantive changes in how we use your data.” Specifically, the “proposed changes” users can vote on focus on three main areas of Facebook’s Data Use Policy:

1. Examples and explanations to enhance the descriptions of…policies

2. New language to explain...policies around new features

3. Administrative and organizational changes

As PCMag.com points out, “It's not as if the vote is going to trigger substantial changes to Facebook's policies – or the way the site works – in the near future.” In other words, it is essentially an opportunity for users to ask Facebook to clarify the existing privacy policy, not a time to request changes to the policy itself or to a user’s ability to adjust their own privacy settings beyond what Facebook currently offers in terms of data privacy. Furthermore, the vote only “counts” if 30 percent of users, about 270 million people, cast a vote in favor or against the proposed changes by the deadline.

With the number of layout changes and individual privacy pieces a user must maintain on Facebook, further clarification on Facebook’s part could come in handy. It started with something as simple as maintaining who can see your photos, posts, or personal information, but with constant layout changes, new features, and third party applications, it can be overwhelming to keep track of who is getting access to your data.

PCMag.com adds that the policy includes other controversial topics as well, such as Facebook’s ability to retain data you provide for an indefinite period of time, how people can use Facebook to find you, and how third party advertisers or applications can access your data.

And while some complain users are not given enough input on the content of these policies, Facebook does not appear to be looking into a more democratic system anytime soon.

NotherJersey.com said that “while thousands of people have left comments on Facebook's proposed changes, ‘our original intent was to get high-quality,’ and not high-quantity comments, said Erin Egan, Facebook's chief privacy officer of policy.”