Facebook just completed a week long public vote, in which Facebook members approved the company’s proposed changes to its terms of service. The New York Times tech blog explains that the vote was prompted by an outrage that erupted in February over changes the company made to its privacy policy that appeared to grant Facebook ownership over any content, such as images or video, uploaded to the site — even if the original owners deleted their profiles. This is just one more challenge of the new age of internet speed, where people can quickly and easily share with large numbers of people.
After thousands of Facebook members joined groups devoted to protesting the changes and bloggers heaped scorn and criticism on the company, Facebook retracted the changed terms, drafted a new set and invited its 200 million members to weigh in. The new terms of service restore ownership to content and information posted to the site.
Although less than 1 percent of the members participated in the survey, the company said it would accept the results. Close to 75 percent of the participants who voted were in favor of the new terms of service.
No word yet on whether or not the company is planning to listen to its users about their dislike of the newly unveiled layout. A third-party application polling members on whether they liked the new redesign, which places heavy emphasis on status updates. More than 1.2 million users have given the site’s new look a thumbs down.