Facebook OKs New Terms Despite Low Voter Turnout

While it didn't hit the threshold of 30 percent of all users it had established for a binding vote, Facebook Thursday night said it would put new terms of service into effect, saying that about 600,000 of its overall users voted, and 74.4 percent of them indicated their support for the new terms.

Facebook's General Counsel Ted Ullyot said in a Facebook blog post Thursday that the social networking giant is "hopeful there will be greater participation in future votes" and added that the company would consider lowering the 30 percent threshold.

The 600,000 or so voters represent only about 0.3 percent of Facebook's overall 200 million users.

"We'd hoped to have a bigger turnout for this inaugural vote, but it is important to keep in mind that this vote was a first for users just like it was a first for Facebook," he wrote.

Facebook's new terms of service -- the Facebook Principles and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities -- mention principles such as "Fundamental Equality" and "Freedom to Share and Connect." They also clearly state that Facebook loses any rights to user content as soon as users delete any content from their Facebook pages or close their accounts.

A Facebook terms of service controversy erupted back in February when Facebook quietly changed its terms to include users granting "an irrevocable, perpetual, nonexclusive, transferable, worldwide license to use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain and distribute any user content you post." Tens of thousands of Facebook users lashed out about the changes and their privacy implications, prompting Facebook to revert to its previous terms of service and call it a "misunderstanding."

When it first mentioned a vote on the new terms of service last week, Facebook said the results would only be binding if at least 30 percent of "active" members participated.

Ullyot indicated that the small fraction of those who did participate in the weeklong vote was enough to move forward, however.

"We're pleased that users supported the proposed documents and validated our efforts to respond to their concerns," Ullyot wrote. "You can expect to see the new documents on the site in the coming weeks. After that, all future proposed changes to the Principles and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities will be subject to the notice, comment and voting provisions of the documents.