Washington Policy Brief > Facebook Timeline Creates Privacy Debate

Facebook Timeline Creates Privacy Debate

February 01, 2012

Facebook’s new Timeline feature and revamped news feed have privacy advocates concerned, and they are cautioning users to be aware of how the new site will share their information with others. According to an article in The Washington Post, advocates have reservations about Facebook’s redesign, the way it will affect the use of third-party apps, and the network’s general approach to privacy.

The Washington Post reported that visitors will be able to see the actual timeline of users’ history on Facebook and will be able to scroll to the year they want to see quickly. The Timeline also encourages people to add content that predates their time on the social network.

According to the article, third-party apps will be fully integrated into a user’s profile page, and with a single permission agreement from the user, they can publish content to the user’s wall automatically. Previously, apps asked permission before each post.

The ability for the apps to post automatically is one of the main reasons advocates are concerned about the timeline feature. The article noted that this could mean private media consumption, exercise routines, and other habits could be automatically published on users’ profiles based off the apps they use. This has advocates warning that users must start thinking carefully about what apps they use.

Tracking users is a concern as well. Self-proclaimed hacker Nik Cubrilovic accused Facebook of using cookies to track users while they are logged off. Facebook denied the claim, saying that although cookies are not deleted, they are altered as a safety measure and are not used for tracking or for selling personal information to third parties.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), said his organization is opposed to the Timeline profile page. He noted that the new format changes rules about how information is accessed, and he is particularly concerned because it will affect user data that was acquired before the implementation of the Timeline.

According to Rotenberg, EPIC is preparing a letter to the Federal Trade Commission about the changes and calling for the agency to look into Facebook’s privacy policies.

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