Zuckerberg Versus the ACLU

The ACLU quickly criticized Facebook's new location services, but Facebook is crying fowl. Facebook released a statement Facebook Places sets a new standard for user control and privacy protection for location information. We're disappointed that ACLU's Northern California office ignores this and seems to generally misunderstand how the service works.

Specifically, no location information is associated with a person unless he or she explicitly chooses to become part of location sharing. No one can be checked in to a location without their explicit permission. Many third parties have applauded our controls, indicating that people have more protections using Facebook Places than other widely used location services available today.

ACLU responded saying it appreciates the privacy options currently available to Places users, but recommend three "straightforward steps" to provide further safeguards:
1. Limiting the default visibility of check-ins on your feed to "Friends Only."
2. Allowing you to customize your check-in privacy.
3. Providing notice to you each time you are checked in by a friend.