Facebook boss admits privacy mistakes

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 24 May 2010 at 13:56

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has admitted the social network has made mistakes over its privacy policies and plans to introduce simpler measures for users to control their information.

The social network has come under heavy fire in recent weeks for making it too difficult for subscribers to secure their details. Now the company looks set to bow to pressure from privacy campaigners.

“There needs to be a simpler way to control your information,” Zuckerberg wrote in the Washington Post. “In the coming weeks, we will add privacy controls that are much simpler to use.

“We will also give you an easy way to turn off all third-party services. We are working hard to make these changes available as soon as possible.”

The changes can not come quickly enough for campaigners and many Facebook users. A newly launched site called Openbook is cruelly exposing the amount of lurid detail people disclose about themselves on the site.

According to a report by security firm Sophos, more than half of all users are considering quitting the service over security fears.