Advocates Applaud Facebook's New Democratic Approach

26.02.2009
Following a , Facebook is receiving plenty of praise Thursday as word spreads about the social network's . Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed plans for a democratic-style "open governance" system during a news conference Thursday. The system will allow Facebook users the opportunity to comment and ultimately vote on the site's future policies surrounding data management and the handling of personal information.

"As people share more information on services like Facebook, a new relationship is created between Internet companies and the people they serve," Zuckerberg said in a . "The past week reminded us that users feel a real sense of ownership over Facebook itself, not just the information they share."

Public Participation

The first test of the revamped approach comes with two documents designed to outline Facebook's values and commitments. Both documents -- entitled "" and "" -- can be read and discussed in their respective user groups as of Thursday. The groups will be open for public comment for 30 days, after which time Facebook will revise the documents and place the amended versions up for a public vote. As long as more than 30 percent of all registered Facebook users participate, the results of the vote will be considered "binding."

A similar process will be held with the company's revised privacy policy once that document is finished and ready for public viewing.

Reassuring Reaction