Senate Democrats Push Facebook on Privacy

Democrats on the Senate’s newest privacy panel are urging Facebook to “reverse” a plan that would allow app developers the ability to request access to users’ addresses, phone numbers and other contact information.

It’s the strongest signal of concern yet coming from Capitol Hill, where other members have questioned Facebook’s new feature since the social network disabled it amid controversy in January. This time, the letter is from Sens Al Franken (D-MN), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The lawmakers stress that access to a user’s contact information threatens a person’s other sensitive data — including his or her e-mail address and family members’ names. The members are calling on Facebook to “reconsider this policy,” or at least “block this feature for Facebook users between 13 and 17 years of age.”