Senators see privacy problems in Facebook expansion

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Four U.S. senators want Facebook to make it easier for its more than 400 million users to protect their privacy as the Web site develops new outlets to share personal information.

The call for simpler privacy controls came in a letter the senators planned to send today to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The Associated Press obtained a draft of the letter signed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo; Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska; and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.

It marked the second time in three days that Schumer has expressed his misgivings about a series of changes Facebook announced last week. The new features are designed to unlock more of the data the online hangout has accumulated about people during its six-year history.

Schumer sent a letter Sunday to the Federal Trade Commission calling for regulators to draw up clearer privacy guidelines for Facebook and other Internet social networks to follow.