Zuckerberg wasn't just announcing new privacy features in Monday's open letter; he was also clearly trying to bridge a growing trust gap between Facebook and its increasingly suspicious users, especially in light of reports last week that Facebook (among other social networks) had been passing along user name and IDs to advertisers (including Google's DoubleClick and Yahoo!'s own Right Media) without users' consent. Those privacy loopholes have since been plugged, say Facebook, MySpace and other social networks.
Well, as I'm sure Zuckerberg understands, people tend to believe actions more than words, and a revamped set of simple, easy-to-use privacy controls — including, say, the option to start from scratch and opt in to sharing options rather than having to opt out — would be a step in the right direction. But rebuilding trust with Facebook's users will be a long, slow process, and the fewer privacy missteps between now and then, the better.
What do you think of Zuckerberg's letter? Does he sound sincere to you? Willing to give Facebook and its upcoming privacy reboot the benefit of the doubt? Or are you ready to jump ship for good?
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