Facebook to boost privacy

Facebook.com has unveiled a set of new security features aimed at combating harassment, inappropriate contact and pornography.

Users can now notify Facebook of abuse or inappropriate content via email or through web forms on the site and expect a response from Facebook within 24 hours.

But the changes aren't voluntary. Rather, they are a means for settling a consumer fraud investigation that was being conducted by the office of New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Users have long complained that the site did not do a good job of protecting minors from sexual predators or responding to complaints, and the site was already under investigation by several state attorney generals.

Cuomo's investigators also found those problems on the site. His office became particularly concerned after investigators who posed as underage children "were repeatedly solicited by adult sexual predators on Facebook and could easily access a wide range of pornographic images and video," a statement from Cuomo's office said.

"Even more disturbingly," the statement continued, "Facebook often did not respond, and at other times was slow to respond, to complaints lodged by the investigators — posing as parents of underage users — asking the site to take action against predators who had harassed their children."

An independent examiner approved by Cuomo's office will oversee the site's compliance with the new security policy for the next two years.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, said in a statement that the site is working with Cuomo's office to improve its security features. "Privacy and safety have been a priority since we first built Facebook," Zuckerberg, a 23-year-old Harvard graduate, said.

"Our agreement with Attorney General Cuomo will set new industry standards to stop abuse online," he said. "We applaud the Attorney General's leadership and are committed to working together to keep Facebook safe."

Though Cuomo's office found inappropriate behavior on Facebook worryingly rampant, harassment on the site does not appear to be a major issue on the University campus. "I am not aware of any student, faculty or staff member reporting any sort of problem with Facebook," Deputy Director of Public Safety Charles Davall said. "We do receive some complaints of annoying emails, but we don't get many of them."

At least one Princeton undergraduate has experienced Facebook harassment. The student, who was granted anonymity because of possible repercussions from the person who harassed her, said she received unwanted messages over AIM that said, "I love you, I love you, I love you," followed by large quantities of amorous poetry in her Facebook inbox.

"It made me realize how open Facebook is and how little I had realized that my information was open to the public," she said. "I immediately removed my AIM screen name from Facebook and changed the privacy settings so that this wouldn't happen in the future."

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Other students said they are still concerned about Facebook safety despite the site's new security measures. "I could definitely see my friends abusing the abuse system," Thomas Maltbaek '11 said, referring to the possibility of playing with the complaints submission form. "And that could mean the real bad guys aren't getting caught."

Helen Chen '11 said the 24-hour requirement for responding to complaints of harassment is too long, noting that "24 hours is enough time for someone to be abducted, raped and then sent back home."

"It's enough time to cart someone all the way to Timbuktu," she added. "I don't know what a reasonable time frame would be, but 24 hours is not good enough."