The Paranoid Can Relax, Facebook Dials Up Privacy With Places
August 19, 2010 at 05:02 AM EDT
Less than one hour after Facebook struck the ceremonial gong, signaling the official birth of Places, the ACLU of Northern California was ready to cry foul play. In a 429-word post titled, "Facebook Places: Check This Out, Before You Check In," the ACLU branch rips the new feature for a perceived lack of user control, complaining (in dramatically bold font) that "in the world of Facebook Places, “no” is unfortunately not an option." While this anonymous ACLU member may have a real knack for writing movie trailers, I don't buy the case they're building against Facebook. To be honest, I've never been a fan of Facebook's history with privacy, but they are making a real effort to dial up privacy with Places. So while all sins are not forgiven, let's start with a solid B for Places and a promise not to burn them at the stake (at least not today). First, let's walk through what you need to know as a user (this post is updated with further clarification from Facebook's Director of Policy Communications, Barry Schnitt).