Facebook Users Still Don't Like Being Used For Ads

Facebook just can't seem to catch a break. All it wants to do is collect its users's likeness and personal data and use those things to sell advertisements, but every time it tries to do so, it gets slapped with some legal action.

Facebook just can't seem to catch a break. All it wants to do is collect its users's likeness and personal data and use those things to sell advertisements, but every time it tries to do so, it gets slapped with a class action lawsuit—like the one settled last week—or a legal complaint like the one filed with the FTC on Wednesday. Both of the complaints have to do with the site's Sponsored Stories functionality that uses friends' 'likes' to endorse products, but whereas the 2011 lawsuit addressed Facebook implementing the functionality without notifying users, the most recent complaint focuses on how the updated privacy policy addresses Sponsored Stories.

A number of consumer privacy groups allege that Facebook's new privacy policy violates the company's 2011 settlement with the FTC by changing the policy to opt-out, rather than opt-in:

The old language gives users the explicit right to control how their names, faces and other information are used for advertising and other commercial purposes. The company’s new policy says consumers are automatically giving Facebook the right to use their information unless they explicitly revoke permission  — and the company made that harder to do by removing the direct link to the control used to adjust that permission.

One of the major sticking points in the revised policy deals with minors. The policy terms state that, "you represent that at least one of your parents or legal guardians has also agreed to the terms of this section (and the use of your name, profile picture, content, and information) on your behalf." In other words, Facebook is letting kids sign for their parents, which seems dicey, to say the least.

A spokeswoman for Facebook told The New York Times, "We have not changed our ads practices or policies — we only made things clearer for people who use our service."

The full complaint can be read here.