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Facebook: We're Not A "Spying Machine"

Facebook has responded to Julian Assange's criticism that the site is an "appalling spying machine" that could be used by government agencies to get detailed personal information about dissidents.

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Facebook told Forbes that in fact it does NOT have a special interface built for information requests by law enforcement agencies (although other companies like Sprint do).

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AP

Instead, law enforcement has to fill out this form each time they make a request. A dedicated team at Facebook then decides whether to comply.

The company also said that it does not respond to coercion, only to subpoenas. Facebook has challenged at least one such subpoena in the past, and says it hopes to take a case to trial to set a legal precedent so it doesn't get so many requests in the future.

That said, Facebook will comply with subpoena requests, and can be forced turn over almost everything you post through the site -- contact information, likes, even your lists of friends.

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Now, don't miss: Everything Facebook Will Tell The Police About You.

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