Stung by user outrage about its policy-making, Facebook is asking its members to help guide the site’s terms of use. On Thursday, the popular social-networking site announced “a new approach to site governance that offers its users around the world an unprecedented role in determining the future policies of the service.”
The move comes after a storm of controversy when Facebook tried to change its terms of use to give it more control and ownership of user data and uploads.
‘A New Relationship’
CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg described the move as creating “a new relationship” between Internet companies and the people they serve. He said it results from an increasing amount of information being shared on Web sites.
“This past week,” he added, “reminded us that users feel a real sense of ownership over Facebook itself, not just the information they share.”
The first policies subject to the new process are The Facebook Principles, described by the company as “a set of values that will guide the development of the service,” and a Statement of Rights and Responsibilities that will outline the duties of both Facebook and its users. The company said an updated Privacy Policy will also be up for review by users.
The Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, Facebook said, is a response to issues raised by the Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Group. When complete, it will replace the existing Terms of Use, the Developer Terms of Service, and even the Facebook Advertising Terms and Conditions.
Virtual Town Halls, Voting
In particular, the draft statement emphasizes that users, not Facebook, own the content shared through the company’s services. Facebook’s permission for using the content would expire when users remove the content or their account. The new process also provides for giving users notice, the ability to comment, and, under certain conditions, approval…