• VentureBeat, Wednesday, February 18, 2009 12:15 PM

Facebook on Tuesday issued an abrupt about-face when it quickly reverted to its prior Terms of Service amid widespread complaints from users, media outlets and privacy groups. The social networking leader introduced a number of changes to the language of the Terms on Feb. 4, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg--in a kind of apology--described on Tuesday as "overly formal and protective."

The main issue with the new Terms was the section saying that Facebook owns your personal data indefinitely, even after you delete your own account. Another issue was Facebook claiming to own the licensing rights to content on sites that let users share information with Facebook. Now, in another blog post, Zuckerberg says the company plans to unveil yet another Terms of Service agreement that will be written in "language everyone can understand." The company is also accepting user feedback in a Facebook group entitled "Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities."

From Zuckerberg's post: "Our next version will be a substantial revision from where we are now. It will reflect the principles I described yesterday around how people share and control their information, and it will be written clearly in language everyone can understand. Since this will be the governing document that we'll all live by, Facebook users will have a lot of input in crafting these terms."

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