Facebook's latest privacy embarrasment

It's not the first time that Facebook have made a mess of privacy. It's something you'd think that CEO Mark Zuckerberg would be really hot on, bearing in mind the amount of data his site holds and manages. But instead of being over-cautious and ensuring that Facebook is seen as the guardian of our personal security (as far as any site that works to the extent that Facebook does, can...) Facebook's track record could be better...

Newsfeeds..minifeeds...horsefeeds...whatever they were called...and Beacon. A marketers dream, if you get the execution right...or a PR and trust disaster if you don't. And I mean disaster... The internet is established enough now for the big online brands to face the same attacks the big offline brands suffered when we started being mobilised in virtual lobbyists. let's face it,big brands are big brands, wherever they do business...especially in uncertain and volatile economic and social climates, like that we face now. They make for easy targets. And the public (you and me) doesn't fall for cheap, shallow apologies easily... Facebook's have been among the cheapest "We really messed this one up!" was one of their previous statements for the Beacon.

With today's announcement that Facebook owns everything you post, for ever... and can do anything it wants with it, there is one issue that makes this unfeasible for Mr Zuckerberg, or at least would probably create inconsistencies in the way the right was applied (if at all). What of the hundreds or thousands, or hundreds of thousands of Brands who have posted to and created groups on Facebook. Are those sharings the property of Facebook to do what it wants with? Are the Brand assets also Facebook's to use as they deem fit? Regardless of whether or not they are likely to use it for anything inappropriate, if at all (as Mr Zuckerberg reportedly claimed in one news program) do they have the right to make this decision... do they have the right to determine when it is or isn't fit or appropriate? But CAN they make that decision when it comes to usage of brand assets and trademarks? Would any Brand really run that risk with their identity... we know how paranoid we're all getting about our identities. I know who I am now, but who knows what will happen? And if they set separate rules for the Brands, can they expect to be able to stillo do what they want for our 'brand assets?' They are in essence, our identity and therefore should be afforded the same security.

So what exactly are the new Ts & Cs (in case you've just popped in from Saturn). They say...
"...an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or ... (ii) enable a user to Post."

Now that seems pretty comprehensive to me. So why'd you do it Mr Zuckerberg? Apparently "...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 so that we can show it to the other people they've asked us to share it with. Without this license, we couldn't help people share that information."

I've tried to listen to him... and I've tried to understand the Facebook perspective, but no matter how much I try I can't see Facebook as anything other than a platform to enables sharing and I don't see a need to pass on a license for Facebook to let my friends see them. You're not sharing your pictures with us Mark...we're sharing them with each other... it's all within our control and our choice...and our pictures... I'm sure there's a word for sharing something that's not yours... a negative word, I mean.

When you lose trust, you need to act fast to regain it...or at least limit the damage. One small slip can be all that's needed...and we don't forget quickly. But when you misuse a Brand's brand... hell hath no fury...

Facebook have to find a revenue model that can sustain it for the long-term, and until it does it needs to embrace its users rather than alienate them... unless this move is a step in the latest attempt to hit on such a model.