Facebook Governance and Policies Vote

Facebook opens polls for users to vote for their ability to vote on Facebook policies.

The voting started Monday, December 3rd. It is accessable via a third party app. Here is the link:
https://apps.facebook.com/fbsitegovernance/

You may have seen votes like this before but this time may be the last time. Facebook is putting to a vote, whether the users get the right to vote on changes in governance. If it passes, then we will lose our ability to have a say in how Facebook is controlling our personal data. Sounds extreme doesn't it? It's not as bad as it sounds and they will incorporate user suggestions for creating new tools to enhance interactions. Basically, they are taking our right to vote on changes away, and telling us to put our complaints in the virtual 'suggestion box.'  So I urge everyone to vote regardless of your position on the following changes:

- Loosened restrictions on how members can contact others via the Facebook email system. Your privacy settings will need to be revamped once again.
- Your personal information will be shared with Facebook affiliates and companies owned by Facebook. Mainly Instagram so they will not have to run two seperate storage facilities. This will also lead to more advertising but FB already does this.
- International data sharing will be enacted. You will be able to see European pages and vice versa.
- This vote will also clarify and share who can view your content after you hide it from your timeline.



Voting closes at noon on December 10th. An independent auditor will tally the votes, so FB is not involved in the counts. Also, FB will be having an online discussion about the changes, December 4th at 9:30 pacific time here: https://www.facebook.com/FacebookDC/app_105217732913495

All things said, this is nothing out of the norm and if you keep up with your privacy settings you should notice no difference. The fact that Facebook has allowed us to vote on changes is unique in itself. They have to have 30% of their users downvote these new policies otherwise any changes on the social network are no longer our business. As of an hour after the polls opened on Monday, only 1,000 people voted. Facebook has 1 billion members.

Some of this isn't such a big deal, but that fact that many will not know their privacy settings and personal information are being distributed in a wider forum sparked my animosity. People need to know about these changes and know that they have the right to deny them. This may be the last chance any of us will have to deny changes we don't like on Facebook.