The social-networking site said it would adopt the new terms of service even though too few users voted to reach the threshold — 30% of users – that it set for the new terms to go into effect. The company said that «more than 600,000» of its 200 million users voted.
«We’d hoped to have a bigger turnout for this inaugural vote, but it is important to keep in mind that this vote was a first for users just like it was a first for Facebook,» said Facebook’s general counsel, Ted Ullyot, in a blog post late Thursday night.
«We are hopeful that there will be greater participation in future votes. In the meantime, we’re going to consider lowering the 30-percent threshold that the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities establishes for a user vote to be binding,» Mr. Ullyot said.
Facebook crafted the new documents to put to rest a user rebellion that erupted after it made changes to its existing terms of service earlier this year. The changes raised concerns that Facebook was claiming ownership of its users’ data, prompting tens of thousands of members to rally against the changes.
Facebook chalked it up to a misunderstanding and created new documents from scratch. The new documents specified that Facebook’s permission to use content from its users expires when users delete the content or terminate their accounts. They also outlined the site’s basic tenets, such as «Freedom to Share and Connect» and «Fundamental Equality.»
The social-networking site also vowed to put the documents to a user vote and to solicit feedback on some other changes in the future. Thousands commented on them and they received the approval of several privacy experts.