Facebook wants to eliminate user voting on privacy changes

Facebook has announced some proposed updates to their Data Use Policy (how user data is collected and used) and their Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (explains the terms governing use of their services).

These updates include new tools for managing Facebook Messages, changes to how they refer to certain products, tips on managing one’s timelines, and reminders about what’s visible to other people on Facebook.

Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s vice president of communications, public policy, and marketing, announced that they are also proposing changes to their site governance process for future updates to their Data Use Policy and SRR.

“We deeply value the feedback we receive from you during our comment period. However, we found that the voting mechanism, which is triggered by a specific number of comments, actually resulted in a system that incentivized the quantity of comments over their quality,” he explained. “Therefore, we’re proposing to end the voting component of the process in favor of a system that leads to more meaningful feedback and engagement.”

“We will continue to post significant changes to our Data Use Policy and SRR and provide a seven-day period for review and comment. As always, we will carefully consider your feedback before adopting any changes,” he wrote.

In addition to all this, Facebook will be launching a new feature on its Facebook and Privacy Page to let users submit questions about privacy to Erin Egan, Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer of Policy, and these questions will be answered by her via regular webcasts.

Users who want to comment on these proposed changes are invited to do so by 9 AM PST on November 28, 2012, on Facebook’s Site Governance Page.