Digital media staff up in arms over Facebook privacy

Digital media staff around the world have found many issues with Facebook in recent months, though many have grouped together to spearhead an inquest into the social media sites' new approach.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and eight other groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US in a bid to open an investigation after it claimed that the privacy changes "diminish user privacy".

In a statement to the press, Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt explained that Facebook had discussed its new privacy changes with the FTC before implementing them.

He continued: "We've had productive discussions with dozens of organisations around the world about the recent changes and we're disappointed that EPIC has chosen to share their concerns with the FTC while refusing to talk to us about them."

Facebook has served as a battleground of a very different nature in the last month, starting a major campaign to get Rage Against the Machine's 1992 hit Killing in the Name to number one ahead of X Factor winner Joe McElderry.

By Giles Preston