Little alarm or controversy spread over campus with news of Facebook's change in their terms of use. Many students did not even realize the change. "I thought that was the way Facebook's terms were already," said sophomore Adrian Rossi-Mastracci, citing the fact that the information was posted online and therefore instantly available.
Mark Zuckerberg defended the changes on Facebook's blog by saying, "Our philosophy is that people own their information and control who they share it with. When a person shares information on Facebook, they first need to grant Facebook a license to use that information." Admittedly, he does make a reasonable point: For Facebook to be an effective method of communication, it needs to be able to control the information it carries. This does not mean, however, that Facebook should have free reign with private and personal information.
Zuckerberg, unsurprisingly also has a response to this. He wrote in the same blog, "In reality, we wouldn't share your information in a way you wouldn't want. The trust you place in us as a safe place to share information is the most important part of what makes Facebook work." In essence, for Facebook to operate smoothly and profitably, it relies on the support of both its advertisers and its users. Zuckerberg claims that the change is not meant to reflect a change in policy, but merely to reinforce some of the complexities of issues and the effects of Internet use.
Nevertheless, students should be careful about what they choose to post — these statements, images and videos can be replicated and distributed with ease. Whilst Zuckerberg takes a paternalistic approach to information sharing, many websites do collect personal information and have no qualms about distributing it. In the end, students are responsible for their personal information and cannot reasonably expect to be protected from their own indescretions.
For those concerned with Facebook's Terms of Use, you can post comments and questions at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69048030774.
