October 17th, 2007
Facebook settles with NY attorney general over sex predators
Facebook agreed with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to settle charges that the social networking site has failed to responsibly deal with sexual predators on the site, Reuters reports.
“Social networking sites, popular among young people, have quickly gained members and appeal, but also act as a magnet for those who would prey on the young,” Cuomo said.
Facebook has agreed to start addressing complaints within 24 hours of receiving notice of such things as nudity, profanity or harassment. Facebook will also inform the complainant within 72 hours of the steps it has taken.
In addition, an independent examiner will oversee how Facebook handles such complaints. Cuomo will “have a say” in who gets hired as examiner, who will report to the New York attorney general every six months for two years.
“The attorney general pointed out some weaknesses in our complaint-handling process,” Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly said. “What he has directed us to do is renew our vigilance around complaint handling. We addressed them in a way that we were not happy with,” Kelly said. “There is a real opportunity here to set a standard.”
Facebook is being investigated by a working group of attorneys general representing all 50 U.S. states.
“This agreement is another step toward protecting children on social networking sites but we still have a long way to go,” North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a separate statement. “Our group of attorneys general will keep pushing MySace, Facebook and other sites to do more.”
