MySpace exploits Facebook privacy row

MySpace co-president Michael Jones wants users to feel in control of their information

MySpace has updated its privacy controls in a bid to differentiate itself from its much larger rival Facebook.

Facebook has faced complaints about its lack of privacy for years, but concerns have picked up significantly in recent weeks after international privacy bodies demanded that the company tighten its attitude to user data.

MySpace has now said that it is giving users a simpler way to control their privacy so that they feel in control of their information. Users will be able to choose one privacy setting for all their profile information, and options will include public, friends only, or public to anyone aged 18 or over.

"While we've had these plans in the works for some time, given the recent outcry over privacy concerns in the media, we felt it was important to unveil those plans to our users now," said MySpace co-president Michael Jones in a blog post.

The official European Union data protection agency wrote an open letter to Facebook last week describing changes to its privacy settings made in December as "unacceptable".

The changes meant that more details contained in user profiles were publically displayed by default, including picture, current city, list of friends and fan pages. Users had previously been given the option of exposing a limited profile or remaining hidden altogether.

In April, German consumer protection minister Ilse Aigner wrote an open letter to Facebook, expressing her concern for the social network's users after changes proposed in March that will allow the site to share personal information with "pre-approved" third-party sites.

And in January, 10 privacy groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union and EPIC, filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission about Facebook's privacy policy.