Facebook has proposed a users’ “bill of rights” in an effort to recover from recent controversy about the site’s privacy policy.

The popular social networking Web site converted its privacy policy to include full, indefinite ownership of user content Feb. 16, and was confronted with massive online protesting. The site, which boasts more than 175 million users, responded by revoking its decision two days later.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, posted in a blog Thursday the outline for a set of principles to define users’ rights and a “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities” to replace the old terms of use.

“Beginning today, we are giving you a greater opportunity to voice your opinion over how Facebook is governed,” Zuckerberg said in the blog.

Until 10:01 p.m. on March 29, users will be able to comment and vote on the proposed documents. Facebook will revise the drafts and then, if they are approved by users, will give those interested the opportunity to participate in “virtual town hall” discussions before the documents become official.

Stacy Hitchcock, University College freshman, said the policy change is positive.

“It lets people know they have certain rights since they are putting stuff online and trusting the Web site,” she said.

The possibility of the site making money with users’ content was a driving force behind the revamping process.

“There was a fear that they could take off pictures and information to create profit from user work,” said John Lackey, assistant district attorney in Tulsa County. Lackey graduated from the OU College of Law in 2004.

Facebook’s decision to respond to their users’ fears was good business sense, said Andrew Kooiman, University College freshman.

“In order to make money off of their advertisements, they have to get page views,” he said. “If they make a lot of users mad and they leave, they’re going to be hurting for business.”

To appease concerned users, Facebook created “Facebook Principles,” which includes a section on ownership. It says people should own their information and have the right to delete their accounts at any time.

User control in the online world is not definite, regardless of Facebook’s possible alterations of policy, said Laku Chidabaram, director of OU Management Information Systems.

Since Facebook is a social networking system that allows users to post between profiles, control is limited, he said.

Facebook has addressed the issue of limited control in “Facebook Principles” by reserving the right for users to adjust their privacy settings to their liking. The site does not guarantee liability for what others may do with the information received on their profiles, however.

“Online content can exist forever once somebody else gets it, circulates it and downloads it onto their computer,” Chidabaram said.

Lackey, who has worked on cyber crime cases, said the site still has legal responsibilities.

“Facebook didn’t change the ability of law enforcement or investigators to go back and get information anyway,” Lackey said.

He said while some college students may still make unwise decisions when posting information, he thinks most are aware of the Internet’s potential for danger.

Kooiman said using the Internet always involves some risk, regardless of an individual site’s policies.

“You can use good common sense and you won’t get hurt most of the time, but there’s pretty much no way to completely destroy anything,” he said.