Much like the Beacon incident before it, I have mixed feeling about this latest kerfuffle over Facebook’s changes to its privacy policy.

On one hand, I just don’t see what the big deal is. People act like Facebook is taking away all their “rights” or possessions, which is just silly. They were just clarifying how information would be used. In one sense, I feel like saying ‘Chill out. And if you don’t like Facebook’s policies, go use some other social networking site for God’s sake!’

On the other hand, I appreciate the fact that some people are far more sensitive about these things and are seeking to collectively pressure Facebook to change its approach to information use and ownership, and I’m fine with that. In fact, like the Beacon hullabaloo, it’s an example of what Berin Szoka and I have argued is the power of voluntary persuasion and social pressure to remedy privacy concerns before we call on government to adopt coercive, top-down, ham-handed, one-size-fits-all regulatory solutions. As we noted in our recent paper about the looming threat of online advertising regulation:

there are many indirect pressures and reputational incentives that provide an important check on the behavior of firms and the privacy policies they craft.  Just as the Internet increases the ways advertisers can reach audiences, it increases the power audiences have to influence advertisers.  For example, when Facebook introduced its Beacon program in 2007, which shared users’ online purchases with their friends without sufficient warning about how the program worked and the ability to opt-out of the program, the response was swift and effective:  Users “collectively raised their voices” and “the privacy pendulum [swung] back into equilibrium” [according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.]  Within two weeks of the Beacon program being first deployed, Facebook had created an opt-out procedure.

Again, markets work and self-adjust to satisfy consumer preferences.  Finally, I can also respect the argument that Internet companies should be expected to live up to the terms of their privacy policies since they constitute a contract of sorts with users.  Thus, I would never rule out legal action against companies that play games with their privacy policies and leave the consumer clueless about their end of the deal.

But, honestly, I still don’t see what people are getting so worked up about. You realize that you voluntarily joined Facebook, right?  And you know you can leave at any time, right?  There are plenty of other places out there where you can network with others.  Indeed, the more Facebook screws up, the more likely it is others will gain a toehold in this sector.  Seriously, what’s stopping a mass exodus to another SNS?  I dumped Facebook long ago and moved all my stuff over to LinkedIn, but they’re hardly the only option out there.

[More interesting thoughts on this episode here, here,  here, and here.]

Update: Here’s an outstanding piece by David Silversmith over at Internet Evolution about the issue. I highly recommend everyone read it.

The Washington Post reports today on a trend that I thought we all knew about, but one I’m glad the mainstream media is finally realizing.  It turns out that people who play video games are not just virginal teenage boys with acne problems.  No, even 20-something, attractive women play video games.

The Post’s Mike Musgrove reports on the mother and daughters of the Burguieres family of Bethesda, Maryland.  Of course in good journalist fashion Musgrove uses the Burguiereses to illustrate a larger point, he even points to the relevant stats:

It used to be that this all-woman crew wouldn’t fit the standard image of the video game consumer. But the perception of gamers as being mostly young guys isn’t so true anymore. Women and girls make up 40 percent of the gamer population, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

The most interesting point brought up in the article on this demographic trend—one that most gamers realize has been happening for quite some time—is Musgrove’s observation that women once were not naturally accepted members of the gaming community.  It’s a great point, but one that can be extended to tech community in general.

It’s not only cool for girls to play games on the Wii, more and more women and becoming full-fledged uber nerds.  Morgan Webb, Veronica Belmont, and Molly Wood have become big voices in the tech community—they’re serious commentators and understand the industry as well as their male counterparts.  Hopefully they’re inspiring more girls to get geeky.

As much as free market or libertarian types sometimes believe that culture is an irrelevant backdrop, it’s not.  Cultural norms matter.  Popularizing and making tech appealing amongst women is crucial.  If some of our best minds were deterred from tech in the past because Bill and the Steves were its most visible avatars, that hurts all of us.  What’s accepted socially can sometimes create a barrier to entry that’s as significant as what’s allowed legally.

Video games specifically have benefited tremendously by their more diverse audience.  Games aren’t just tailored to the desires of teenage boys, but are targeted at an older, more sophisticated audience.  Contemporary games show the value the market places on character development and storyline, along with the usually shoot ’em up and gore.

Politicians were once able to demonize video-games as the opiates of the teen and twenty-something male masses.  These violence-soaked diversions were deviant behavior producing machines.  This misconception, thankfully, is no longer tolerated in Washington.  The gaming demographic not only includes more ladies, it includes more fogies.  As the Pong generation ages, we see more middle aged folks playing games—Adam can attest to this.  This helps safeguard video games from would-be First Amendment violators like Hillary Clinton, Sam Brownback, Fred Upton, Jack Thompson, and the many others who would uproot the ESRB system that works so well.

As much as Mosgrove may be late in catching this trend, it’s an important one to point out.  Everyone needs to feel accepted in the tech community.  A larger talent pool is never a bad thing, not to mention the bigger voting block.