Facebook: Uh, Never Mind That Last Update

Clause giving site permanent license to content slammed

(NEWSER) - An outcry over a terms of service change has forced Facebook's founder to reassure users that they still own and control their own information, the New York Times reports. The update—which remains unchanged—removed a provision that said users could delete their content at any time, and added a clause saying users’ content would be retained even after accounts are terminated. More»

(NEWSER) - The recent scrap over Facebook’s privacy policy seems to be at odds with the site’s friendly, familial face, Vanessa Grigoriadis writes in New York. But the company’s aborted move to claim ownership of user content in perpetuity reveals a vague something about its ambitions. “Facebook’s entire business plan, insofar as it is understood by anyone,” Grigoriadis writes, “rests upon this continued practice of friends sharing with friends.” More»

Also: Site poised for $2B in revenue this year

(NEWSER) - Get ready for another Facebook update: Next week, the site will start rolling out new face-recognition technology for photos, the Huffington Post reports. It’s “comforting” to know that the service won’t be automatic, writes Larry Magid. If the site thinks it recognizes someone, it will ask you for confirmation. Ignore it, and no tagging takes place. Privacy settings won’t change—you’ll still be alerted when you’re tagged and able to remove any unwanted tags. More»

The new controls are causing lots of embarrassment for people

(NEWSER) - In its quest to "simplify and enhance the privacy experience" on Facebook, the company appears to have stripped away key features forever, writes Ryan Tate writes on Gawker . Now, you can't:

• Hide group/page memberships: Thanks, FB, says one user who must decide whether to defriend grandma or let her in on a Queer Graduate Student Union affiliation.

The new settings are a pain to reverse, but a little work gets it done

(NEWSER) - Maybe the worst thing about Facebook's new privacy settings is how hard they are to reverse, writes Ryan Tate. Even Mark Zuckerberg himself seems to be having a little trouble with it. Fear not, Tate provides instructions at Gawker on how to hide your photos—those posted by you as well as those posted by others of you—and more. After all, "if the CEO of Facebook is changing his default privacy settings, shouldn't you?" More»