Facebook users revolt

Facebook users are rebelling against new features that create "feeds" of what friends are doing on the service. They say the feeds enable online stalking. Boycotts are being organized. See this item in the News.com blog for a summary of the fracas.

The updates do make it easier for creeps to "stalk," or monitor, what other users do online. But there's a backlash to the backlash that says, if you don't want people to see everything you're doing online, perhaps you shouldn't post the details of your life in a social network to begin with.

On the Facebook blog, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminds users that Facebook has configurable privacy options. Obviously, Facebook users should take a second look at their settings and modify them in light of the new features, although there is as yet no Disable Minifeed option in the privacy settings.

The new Facebook feeds amount to a change in the terms of service that Facebook offers its users. It is now much easier to gather and see data about your friends. Many users feel that their privacy settings are no longer appropriate for what the service displays by default, and they are justifiably angry that Facebook was fundamentally changed without fair warning.