Facebook says the result of the vote will be binding if at least 30 percent of active users participate, and "advisory" if that threshold isn't met. But rather than earning praise for turning to user-friendly bylaws for its so-called data use policy, the company has set off a new round of criticism about its alleged disdain for user privacy.

The unusual vote on proposed changes to Facebook's privacy policy stems from events that have unfolded in Europe. European law corporations to disclose, upon request, any information they hold about individuals. Last year, 24-year-old Austrian law student Max Schrems petitioned Facebook to share with him all the information the company had about him. The dossier he received became the basis of a number of he filed with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner's Office, which has jurisdiction over Facebook Ireland, the company's headquarters for operations outside North America.

According to Schrems, the dossier revealed that Facebook was violating European law.

The Irish office responded by auditing Facebook Ireland. Under from the commissioner, Facebook to make changes to its data use policy.

When Facebook announced the proposed changes last month, it said that if it received more than 7,000 substantive comments on them, it would hold a referendum. More than 40,000 comments came in, thanks largely to a campaign by the nonprofit that Schrems runs, . The nonprofit has amassed a significant following on social media, including more than 5,200 "likes" , but the biggest influx of signatures came after Schrems appeared on a popular German television show.