The Moveon Hypocricy Moment: The Facebook Opt Out

While I'm clearly left leaning in most cases, MoveOn.org drives me crazy because they turn a reasoned argument into a caricature of itself. It's idealistic positioning without regard for reason in much the same way as the NRA's stance on assault weapons and just about anyone who is against stem cell testing. (How's that for a jaded statement?)

That said, I was pleased to see ClickZ call out MoveOn for its blatant hypocrisy over the Facebook privacy controversy...

One of the key privacy issues for MoveOn, according to the petition group page, is the fact that Facebook's new 'Beacon' ad format automatically shares information about a user's activity gathered on third-party sites.

The text in the group description, presumably written by MoveOn, states, "Facebook says its users can 'opt out' of having their private purchases reported to all their friends. But that option is easily missed."

It continues; "The obvious solution is to switch to an 'opt in' policy, like most other applications on Facebook."

I couldn't agree more! However, an interesting comment on the group wall was pointed out to me yesterday. A member has posted the following:

"Well, I tried to write this yesterday but it looks like it was removed. I'd love to sign a petition, but I am not going to sign something that will automatically subscribe me to moveon.com emails. Sorry."

I took a look at the petition on the MoveOn.org site earlier today. The privacy policy is outlined at the bottom of the page and reads; "MoveOn will send you updates on this and other important campaigns by email. If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from our email list, you may do so."

Sure does sound like an opt out policy, now doesn't it. I'd love to hear their excuse. Thanks to Ryan for the catch.