In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about unwanted friend requests, Netflix’s privacy-related legal problems, and a new website that allows anonymous bashing of Facebook profiles.

–

Dealing With Unwanted Friend Requests

Roberto Loiederman’s column in the Baltimore Sun discusses what to do if you are contacted on Facebook by someone you haven’t talked to in years, and you don’t want to accept their friend request. Interestingly, Loiederman writes from the perspective of being the person sending the message. His anecdote about getting rejected by an old friend is telling, and offers an important lesson for social media users.

France Fines Google Over Street View

France became the latest in a line of European countries to take legal action against Google over assertions that the company collected unsecured wireless data via its Street View vehicles last year. France’s online privacy regulatory agency fined Google $142,000, a drop in the hat for the multi-billion dollar company. It is unclear at this point whether Google will pay or appeal the fine.

Yahoo Introduces Tracking Opt-Out Button

According to PCWorld, “Yahoo has anticipated a new European Union directive by introducing a feature designed to ensure Web users’ privacy through the use of an opt-out button for cookies.” The feature will allow users to click an “AdChoices” button placed in the upper right-hand corner of online ads. Clicking the icon will “provide users with information about Yahoo’s advertising business and the chance to opt out of cookies.” Yahoo’s plan is consistent with similar self-regulatory approaches, but may not completely comply with European Union directive.

Netflix Hit With Multiple Privacy Lawsuits

According to a CNET report, “Netflix, the Web’s top video-rental service, has been accused of violating U.S. privacy laws in five separate lawsuits filed in the past two months.” Each lawsuit charges that Netflix retains user data, including billing information and rental histories, long after customers have stopped using the service, which may be a violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA).

Facebook Privacy Chief: “Facebook Removes Around 20,000 Underage Users Each Day”

In comments before an Australian Senate committee on cybersafety, Facebook’s Chief privacy adviser Mozelle Thompson defended his company’s record on prohibiting underage users from accessing the site. While answering a question related to the many under-13 users on Facebook, Thompson said that Facebook removes “around 20,000 underage users globally each day.” Thompson also touted the company’s commitment to cybersafety issues and involvement in various working groups on the issue.

New Site AboutEveryone.com Allows Anonymous Facebook Bashing

In his “Technically Incorrect” column, CNET’s Chris Matyszczyk discusses a new website called AboutEveryone.com that gives users the opportunity “to vent your real feelings about your Facebook friends.” After sharing some pretty awful examples of how the site has been used so far, Matyszczyk wisely writes, “I fear this site will become the repository of much trouble. I fear the odor of retaliations and lawsuits. I fear it is another site that can only, in the end, offer pain and anguish to the innocent just as much as to the guilty.  Yes, I fear many people are going to love it.”