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New features introduced this week by college-student networking site Facebook have angered some users and incited protest petitions and anti-Facebook groups on the site itself.
Among the changes was a “news feed” placed on the home page of every user, allowing them to see details of their social network, time-stamped to the minute, writes CNET (via MarketingVox). Facebook’s 8 million or so users now know instantly when people “friend” each other, when people add photos or when new members join their network. Users can also instantly see all recent changes to a friend’s site. Tens of thousands of users have joined protest groups on the site, dubbing the new feature stalker-like and an invasion of their privacy.
What’s more, the feed may affect advertisers, says Forbes. Though the news feed format may save users time by condensing the information they are most interested in onto one page, it could also mean users will view fewer pages of the site - and therefore fewer advertisements, which are the site’s main revenue source.
Facebook says the information has also been available in the past - it’s just the way it’s being presented that is angering students. The news feed does not have an off switch, although users can block or limit non-friends from seeing their profiles, which feed directly into the news feed.
In a post to Facebook members, founder Mark Zukerberg wrote: “We didn’t take away any privacy options…. The privacy rules haven’t changed. None of your information is visible to anyone who couldn’t see it before the changes…. Nothing you do is being broadcast; rather, it is being shared with people who care about what you do - your friends.”
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