Facebook is still trying to deal with the uproar over its privacy policy which has been simmering — and occasionally boiling over — for a week, now.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s latest attempt at quelling the uprising by a significant number of Facebook’s 125+ million Netizens takes the form of a new scheme for governing the Facebook community.
In short, Zuckerberg is ceding some of his heretofore totalitarian authority to direct the evolution of Facebook. Call it a nod to democracy.
The plan involves a new effort at ‘openness and transparency’, putting any future changes in Facebook regulations and policies up for member comment and, ultimately, a vote.
All too fittingly, the first exercise in member consultation under the new Facebook regime is the posting of the new Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.
Oddly… Section 2.3 of the new charter still asserts Facebook’s ‘right’, “to use, copy, publicly perform or display, distribute, modify, translate, and create derivative works of (‘use’) any content you post on or in connection with Facebook. This license ends when you delete your content or your account.”
Wasn’t that the condition that everyone was objecting to in the first place?
At least, now, they have a chance to register their objections officially and, eventually, to vote the clause down.