Peon's Place

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Monday said that the site’s recent privacy enhancements “missed the mark,” and confirmed that the social networking site will introduce simplified settings in the weeks to come. Zuckerberg also denied that Facebook shares users’ information without permission.

“There needs to be a simpler way to control your information. In the coming weeks, we will add privacy controls that are much simpler to use,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Monday op-ed for The Washington Post. “We will also give you an easy way to turn off all third-party services.” In December, Facebook rolled out new privacy settings intended to give users more control over their information, but made some users’ information more open by default. Last month, Zuckerberg discussed an “open graph” at the company’s annual f8 developer conference, which is supposed to connect people to Facebook on third-party sites. Both efforts have prompted inquiries from consumer groups, members of Congress, privacy watchdogs, and the Article 29 Working Party.

“Simply put, many of you thought our controls were too complex,” Zuckerberg wrote Monday. “Our intention was to give you lots of granular controls; but that may not have been what many of you wanted. We just missed the mark.” Zuckerberg also laid out several privacy principles, which he said should clear up any concern about the sharing of personal information. Users have control over how their information is share, and Facebook does not share personal information with people or services users do not want, he said. He also denied that Facebook provides advertisers with access to their personal information or sells personal information.

Finally, Facebook will “always” be a free service for everyone, Zuckerberg concluded.

I guess they will keep their practice of opting in their users and leaving their users the task of opting out. Which means, if you do not keep your eye on your Facebook account 24/7, you will be opted into this or that, and your information shared until such time that you realize you have been opted in, and then set about to make necessary changes.

A British endurance swimmer summoned the peak of his powers to become the first person to swim under the summit of Mt. Everest, Sky News reported Sunday. Lewis Gordon Pugh battled freezing waters wearing only a pair of Speedos, a cap and goggles to cross the one kilometer (0.62 miles) glacial lake next to the Khumbu Glacier.

The swim, in two degrees Celsius, was undertaken to draw attention to the melting Himalayan glaciers. Behind him are (from left) Everest Ridge, Mt Everest and Mt Nuptse. After the swim, he explained the challenge of swimming at such an altitude.

When I did a 20-metre practice swim as fast as I could, I felt as if I was drowning. I couldn’t catch my breath. I learnt I had to swim as slowly as possible, maintaining a fine balance between going too fast, which could cause me to drown through hyperventilation, and too slowly, which could kill me through hypothermia.

A good point was brought up: Maybe the Redskins should reconsider signing T.O. if Santana Moss is suspended by the NFL after being linked to Canadian doctor Anthony Galea, who was charged with smuggling human growth hormone into the United States. Would the McNabb-Owens reunion be a good thing for the Redskins?

Personally, I don’t see how it could be worse. The 36-year-old veteran receiver might still be pursued if Moss is out for the year, or at least a large chunk of time. What better way to make Donovan McNabb partially useless in his new team.

Mike Brown won everything in five years coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers. Everything, that is, except an NBA title. Brown, the most successful coach in franchise history, was fired Monday after failing to win a championship with superstar, and soon-to-be free agent, LeBron James.

Brown’s dismissal had been expected since the Cavs were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, a stunning exit for a team favored to win it all. In five seasons, Brown, who had one year left on his contract, went 314-177 and was the league’s coach of the year in 2009. He took Cleveland to the postseason every season and led the Cavaliers to their only finals appearance in 2007. But the Cavs, despite having the best regular-season record the past two years, fell short of winning their first title and now face an uncertain future with James, the league’s two-time defending MVP, eligible for free agency and expected to listen to offers from other teams.