Facebook probes privacy violation by influence measuring site

Facebook is investigating a possible violation of its privacy policies by a site that creates a profile for anyone who comments on a Facebook public status update — even without his or her permission. Marian Heath, who helps manage family safety at the social networking site, was referring to the actions of influence-measuring site Klout.com, as alleged by a social media professional. "Separately, we’re investigating the company mentioned here to be sure that they are in compliance with our Terms of Service," Heath said in a reply to an article posted on AllFacebook.com. The article had said the social media professional cited an incident where her son commented on one of her Facebook public status updates. She said Klout created a profile for her son without his permission. The article said Klout can technically use the public comment to find anyone and pull in their profile photos. At this time, there is no way to deactivate a Klout profile. On the other hand, Heath said Facebook has made public comments are what they are — public. "We think it’s important for adults and minors alike to be aware that comments made in public spaces – on Facebook, elsewhere on the Internet, or indeed anywhere in the offline world – are, in fact, public. In particular, we spend a lot of time educating teens about how they represent themselves online and ensuring that they understand how to use our tools to control what they share," she said. — RSJ, GMA News