Commentary
Why Facebook Had No Choice But To Hire Bushie
- by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, May 10, 2010
Even with the best intentions, Facebook is flailing -- and failing -- to defuse the controversy arising from its new Open Graph. Facebook's latest move in its ongoing privacy punch-up is the hiring of Tim Muris, the former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission under George W. Bush from 2001-2004, as a liaison with the current FTC; basically Muris is supposed to help Facebook reach some kind of compromise with the FTC to head off intrusive regulation regarding privacy issues.
Predictably, the press and pundits have jumped all over Facebook for hiring an ex-Bush official, noting the previous administration's serial violations of privacy (most notably with illegal wiretapping). But these criticisms are off-target.
First of all, Muris and the FTC had nothing to do with the illegal wire-tapping, which was carried out in secret by the National Security Agency. Besides the telecoms which collaborated with the administration, there's no proof anyone else was told other than the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence committees. Indeed, regulators from the FTC or FCC would probably be literally the last people the spooks would tell about their nefarious activities.
Furthermore, who else can Facebook hire with a comparable resume? Think about it: social networks are a relatively new phenomenon which first emerged during the eight years of the Bush administration (MySpace was founded in 2003, Facebook in 2004). If you're looking to hire a former official who's handled social network issues, you pretty much have to go hunting among Republican appointees.
Last but certainly not least, Muris actually has pretty strong credentials when it comes to protecting consumer privacy and marketing issues generally. He's probably best known for leading the effort to create a national "do not call" list to shield consumers from unwanted telemarketing in 2002-2004. In 2009 the Council of Economic Advisors noted that the "do not call" registry was very popular with the public, with 72% of Americans signing up. During his tenure as FTC chairman Muris also pushed to safeguard online credit card and other consumer information, block email SPAM, and ensure that software companies were legally liable for claims made regarding online security products.
But for all his qualifications, I don't expect Facebook's hiring of Muris will receive gentle treatment in the press or the halls of power. For one thing, there is an element of political theater to the controversy: grandstanding Senators can easily brush off Muris if they feel like it, playing up his association with the Bush administration to make Facebook look bad. Not that they need much help there: recently Facebook seems to be its own worst enemy, with reports of multiple privacy breaches as it attempts to implement a new program sharing more consumer information than ever before. Until it remedies these basic (and very damaging) flaws, it won't matter who it hires to represent it on Capitol Hill.
Erik Sass is editor of Publishers Daily. You can reach Erik at eriksass@gmail.com.
Do you mean the illegal wire tapping that the Obama Administration has approved and continued to use because it foils terrorists? Is that illegal wire tapping you're referring to?
Noise about Muris' resume is misdirection. So, too, is the point, assumed but quite logical, that his hiring is all about brokering a deal with the FTC. A sharper point is the uneasy state of Facebook's relationship with its users. The catalog of actions that have brought the company to this "point" are well-known. What ought to come next is more than hiring a fixer or cutting a deal with regulators. Until Facebook makes privacy an understood and essential aspect of customer service, it will look like any other self-interested company seeking to protect a market, not the rising tide it fancies itself lifing all boats.
I couldn't have said it any better than John Berard laid out in his post so I'll simply second it.
Facebook's once very real authenticity continues to dissolve in some of the actions it takes.
To J.A.'s point: you mean that same wire tapping that resulted in no attacks on US soil? And that no doubt allowed the NSA/CIA to track down Shazad's accomplices in Pak after his failed Times Square bombing effort?
There's a process in place under the RULE OF LAW for acquiring legal wiretaps. So yes, he means the ILLEGAL wire taps.
Apparently the most left wing U.S. President in our history (and his attorney general) disagrees with you Burke! Thank God!!