Facebook drops data share plan after four days

A new data-sharing feature on Facebook, which gives external sites the chance to get their hands on the addresses and phone numbers of users, has been suspended after just four days because the social networking site was inundated with what it described as "useful feedback" from members unhappy at the change.
 
The new system was launched, without fanfare, on Friday. But on Tuesday it announced that it was "temporarily disabling this feature" amid concerns that it could be easily exploited by unscrupulous app developers who would access Facebook users' details and pass or sell them on to other companies.
 
Facebook defended the change, claiming it could have beneficial applications. It explained that by sharing postal and telephone details, online retail sites, for example, would be able to streamline the checkout process for customers and keep them up to date on special offers.
 
The company also pointed out that its users had to explicitly agree to pass on their information, and that they could only make their own (rather than anyone else's) details available.
 
However, many users were angry that there was not more warning about the change and pointed out that users encounter so many dialogue boxes when navigating the site they often click wherever they are asked.
 
But for once the social networking giant, which has been attacked before over its carefree approach to its users' personal data, appears to be listening. In a blog-post on Tuesday morning announcing the suspension of the service, Facebook said: "Over the weekend, we got some useful feedback that we could make people more clearly aware of when they are granting access to this data. We agree, and we are making changes to help ensure you only share this information when you intend to do so."
 
Online security blogger Chester Wisniewski welcomed the news, and suggested that it marked a new approach from the website.

"Facebook has been pushing the boundaries of privacy for a long time, but despite the uproar, few in the community have abandoned the service," he wrote. "It is great news that Facebook is responding to the outrage about this recent change, but I wonder if most users will be satisfied with their eventual solution.
 
"Users still place a great deal of trust in Facebook, and the service has an obligation to live up to that expectation." ·