SACRAMENTO — Facebook Inc. is defending its privacy practices after recent revelations that it altered some users’ news feeds in 2012 to gauge their emotional responses.
Researchers with Facebook and Cornell University reported in the June 17 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that for one week they had reduced the number of “positive” or “negative” posts almost 700,000 users received. According to the study, those who saw less positive content expressed more negativity in their status updates. The reverse was true for those who viewed less negative posts.
