Barry Schnitt: Facebook’s MythBuster

Facebook manager of policy communications Barry Schnitt is auditioning for Discovery Channel’s MythBusters.

OK, not really, but a post by Schnitt on the Facebook Blog is aimed at busting the myth that the social-networking site is using members’ photos in ads without their consent, as has been the topic of several status updates by users reading something like this:

FACEBOOK has agreed to let third-party advertisers use your posted pictures WITHOUT your permission.

Schnitt posted:

This rumor about Facebook using your photos in ads without your consent is spreading again. The rumor was not true earlier this year and it is not true now.

The advertisements that started these rumors were not from Facebook, but placed within applications by third parties. Those ads violated our policies by misusing profile photos, and we already required the removal of those deceptive ads from third-party applications before this rumor began spreading.

We are as concerned as many of you are about any potential threat to your experience on Facebook and the protection of your privacy. That’s why we prohibit ads on Facebook Platform that cause a bad user experience, are misleading, or otherwise violate our policies. Along with removing ads, we’ve recently prohibited two entire advertising networks from providing services to applications on Facebook Platform because they were not compliant with our policies and failed to correct their practices.

We’re committed to remaining vigilant in enforcing our policies to prevent bad ads from appearing on Facebook—whether served by us or a third party. But we also need your help. If you ever see a misleading ad or believe it violates our policies, report it to us.

If it’s one of our ads, you can simply click the thumbs-down icon that appears above or below the ad to report it. If the ad is from a third-party application, click the “Report” link at the bottom of the page to report it to the developer and us.

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