Last month, Facebook revealed Graph Search, a new way to search the social network for virtually anything your friends have shared.
The new service is currently undergoing beta testing, but it will allow users to type in queries like, "Which of my friends like sushi?" and see the listed results before their eyes. People can also ask which restaurants Facebook users in general recommend and get an answer. If you've limited access to your information to "Friends," however, you'll only show up in the search results of your friends.
As with any new Facebook announcement, privacy concerns are paramount. Facebook tried to preempt distress by noting that the only way your information would be displayed is if you originally granted access to it publicly.
On Thursday Feb. 15, the company announced additional steps it plans to take to protect those under the age of 17. Graph Search will ban the information of young people from showing up in searches initiated by anyone beyond the "Friends of Friends" category. What's more, Facebook's safety guide reads that, "for certain searches that could help to identify a young person by age or by their location, results will only show to that person's Friends, or Friends of Friends who are also between the age of 13-17."
The social network admitted that enforcement of this rule could be tough, because it cannot confirm everyone is honest about their age when they sign up. The site is technically only available for users 13 years and older, but it's well-known that many are younger than that.
"It's really important to us that minors represent their real age. If they tell us they're 25, they're not getting these protections and a lot of other protections we offer," said Facebook Privacy & Safety Manager Nicky Colaco to CNN.
Of course, Graph Search is vulnerable to users young and old. There's nothing to stop an older individual from lying about his or her age, setting up a Facebook account as a minor, and then searching for young boys and girls in his or her area.
Facebook itself hasn't commented on this possibility, so it's unclear what safeguards, if any, are in place to deal with it.
