Facebook To End User Voting On Privacy Issues

If you've been a long-time Facebook user, then you know how controversial some of the privacy updates have been on the social networking site. The company launched its current site governance model in 2009, which gave users the right to vote on privacy policy issues. However, Facebook is now proposing to get rid of that system, saying that Facebook has outgrown the old model.

Facebook wants to replace the system with one that solicits high-quality feedback instead of just votes. This would also prevent votes from being triggered by copy-and-pasted comments from privacy activists. Currently, if a proposed change gets 7,000 "substantive comments," Facebook users can vote on the change and the vote will be binding if more than 30% of all Facebook users vote.

Facebook says that it's doing away with the voting system because it "resulted in a system that incentivized the quantity of comments over their quality." Therefore, the social network is "proposing to end the voting component of the process in favor of a system that leads to more meaningful feedback and engagement."

Facebook is also proposing changes to its Data Use Policy, which explains how the site collects and uses user data. In the coming weeks, Facebook will roll out new ways of responding to questions and comments from its users, and they'll be launching a section on Facebook where you'll be able to submit questions about privacy to the company's chief privacy officer of Policy, Erin Egan.

[via TechCrunch]