Facebook has come under fire recently for a variety of changes to the site including the recent launch of Facebook Platform (which was not initially well-received by all users), a recent code leak and "that whole News Feed debacle"â„¢. I for one have had nothing against the firm and generally defend it against would-be nay-sayers.
However, this week I have been given cause for concern because Zuckerberg and co. seem to have begun some sort of campaign to remove dissent from the ranks of its members: a group campaigning for the removal of the mandatory "is" from Facebook status messages disappeared overnight on Wednesday without any warning to its creator, London-based Nick Shaw. Nick immediately got in touch, but has yet to receive any sort of a response.
We contacted Facebook's spinners in the US to ask why the group had been deleted. The best response the public relations SWAT team could muster was links to the site's code of conduct and terms of use. We trawled through both (they're a hoot), and the only relevant passage was this, in the latter: "The Company may terminate your membership, delete your profile and any content or information that you have posted on the Site… for any reason, or no reason, at any time in its sole discretion, with or without notice."
So there you go, Nick. Facebook's baby corporate consciousness can throw its toys out of the pram at even the most benign dissent on its pages. And members can just shut up.
