|
Advertisement | Facebook Warned On Safety ClaimsNew York AG's Office Tells Facebook It Could Face Consumer Fraud ChargeALBANY, N.Y. , Oct. 1, 2007 ![]() ![]() Facebook Under FireNew York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is leading a movement to crackdown on the social networking Web site, which has become a magnate for online predators. Hannah Storm reports. | Share/Embed (AP) The social networking Web site Facebook has been warned that it could face a consumer fraud charge for failing to live up to claims that youngsters there are safer from sexual predators than at most sites and that it promptly responds to concerns, a spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Sunday. "We expect an immediate correction eliminating the dangers exposed by our investigation," said the spokesman, Jeffrey Lerner. Cuomo announced last week that he had subpoenaed Facebook after he said the company did not respond to "many" complaints by investigators who were solicited for sex while posing as 12- to 14-year-olds on the site. Officials from Cuomo's office discussed the issue with Facebook by phone and fax Friday after they said Facebook took three days to answer calls and e-mails from state investigators. An official in Cuomo's office said he and others are scheduled to meet with Facebook representatives this week and anticipate changes will follow immediately. "We said, `You have got to make accurate representations on your Web site," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because court filings haven't yet been made. "What we told them is, `Correct the language describing the site and stop marketing yourself as this pristine Web site ... parents have a misimpression. You can't mislead people." Lerner said Facebook's contention of being safer than most sites was accurate when it started out as a closed site 3½ years ago. But it's now much larger, and the safeguards and apparently the response times for complaints aren't what they once were, he said. There was no immediate response to e-mail and phone messages left for a Facebook representative. But a statement issued a week ago stated the company was concerned about Cuomo's claim that sexual predators could use the site to meet with children. "We strive to uphold our high standards for privacy on Facebook and are constantly working on processes and technologies that will further improve safety and user control on the site," Facebook spokeswoman Brandee Barker said in the statement. Lerner said Facebook has continued to promise to cooperate. © MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | Advertisement Obama In Berlin: New Walls Must FallDemocrat Urges Transatlantic Unity, Cites NATO's Defeat Of Communism In Call To Combat Terror |
|
|
Comments [ + Post Your Own ]
Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not CBS News stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.