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Tiny fraction of required 270 million Facebook users squeak 'no' to changes
Facebook users rebuked proposed privacy changes in a vote on Friday -- to the tune of 87 percent -- but a thousand times higher turnout was needed for it to matter. As such, the company will likely proceed with the additions, which it said were needed to clarify current policies for European and US regulators. However, the company was sufficiently chastened by the anemic turnout of 342,600 voters to state that it was "pretty disappointing," and spokeswoman Jame Schopflin said in the future, they will consider the vote "advisory" if numbers were too low. Still, groups like Our Policy who started the petition for this referendum might want to pick their battles better next time.
Facebook to put privacy changes to vote thanks to policy group, its own rules
A vote on Facebook privacy rules prompted by 45,000 comments plastered on its governance page is likely to trigger consequences -- maybe some not intended. With Max Schrems' Our Policy site easily egging the number past the 7,000 threshold, the now-public social company must wait to see if 30 percent of its user base will object to the seemingly modest revisions. With the flock now numbering nearly 800 million, it seems unlikely that 230 million of them will bother to even vote, let alone strike the changes down. Given that and Facebook's privacy Czar Erin Egan saying that it will now revisit the vote policy, it's possible the only result will be a change in terms which could stymie future privacy efforts. Want to have your say? Check the more coverage link to find out where to go.
