DNS - Facebook Privacy Concerns -- Again!

'They trust me. Dumb [expletive].' That's probably not what you want to hear from the CEO in charge of managing your social website's privacy settings. Granted, the alleged quote comes from a six year-old instant message conversation… but it certainly does give one pause.

Facebook (News - Alert) CEO Mark Zuckerberg is in the media's hot seat these days, plagued by criticisms surrounding Facebook and its privacy controls.

The popular social networking site is now famous for its lax privacy settings, thanks in part to an article published last week in the Wall Street Journal. The article said 'Facebook, MySpace (News - Alert), and several other social-networking websites have been sending data to advertising companies that could be used to find consumers' names and other personal details, despite promises they don't share such information without consent.'

In response to the article, Facebook said it changed its software to eliminate the offending code. This is a typical response for Facebook, which usually adapts, commendably, to placate its users concerns.

But just how sincere is Zuckerberg?

He has changed his tune a lot these days, at least when it comes to public statements. In an open letter featured in the Washington Post, he addresses user concerns: 'Simply put, many of you thought our controls were too complex. Our intention was to give you lots of granular controls; but that may not have been what many of you wanted. We just missed the mark.'

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery - for many disorders. I am hoping that Zuckerberg will recognize his own failings and work on getting his company to sincerely respect its user base - and its user base's right to privacy.