Facebook Fights Back By Hiring Former FTC Chairman?

By creating a new policy that allows for the use of personal data from its users to be given to third-party websites, Facebook has opened itself up to being the target of many privacy advocacy groups because, let’s face it, using Facebook can be a dangerous thing. And, consumers of all ages don’t understand how vulnerable they are when they participate in online social networks, according the recent report by Consumer Reports.

So, what does a massive organization like Facebook do when it appears to be on the “wrong side of the law” when it comes to privacy? It brings in the big guns. According to the San Jose Business Journal, Facebook has hired lawyer Timothy J. Muris (pictured), the former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, to help deal with this situation. The hiring follows the Palo Alto social networking company’s appointment in March of Timothy D. Sparapani, a senior lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, to become its director of public policy.

Here’s the wrinkle though. Yesterday, Facebook has denied the hiring of Muris. But the details seem fuzzy at this point. Last month, Muris told Marketwatch that “I’m not confirming or denying that I represent Facebook.” Hmmm…seems kind of vague.

Meanwhile a number of privacy watchdogs sent letters to Congress and the Federal Trade Commission asking for an investigation into Facebook’s move to share personal data with third party sites.

Finally, in an ironic twist, a Facebook board member became the victim of recent hack, which resulted in his personal Facebook account sending phishing e-mails to his friends.