Facebook Responds

[Commentary] Facebook built its base of nearly 500 million users on the notion that it was a place for people to connect with each other and post their likes, dislikes, photos, activities with as wide a circle as they chose to define. Facebook, in turn, used that information to show users advertisements based on their tastes. But Facebook has become the focus of an increasingly heated debate over whether it was keeping its end of the bargain and giving users an easy, straightforward and consistent way to set their limits. It has regularly revised its privacy settings, made them harder to find and massaged the way it describes the meaning of privacy. Leaving Facebook for good is a complex chore. These are legitimate concerns. After a public outcry, Facebook is responding to them by revising some of its privacy policies. Facebook's existence is predicated on people wanting to share information about their lives. It should trust that users who want to share everything will and not force the hand of those who don't want to.