The state of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany is banning Facebook’s “Like” button on German websites based in the region.
The controversial decision is lead by officials and Thilo Weichert, the head of the Independent Centre for Privacy Protection of the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, whom are giving website owners until the end of September to remove the “Like” button or face a 50,000 Euro fine.

Weichert has concerns about Facebook’s privacy settings and the company’s overwhelming control on people’s data. “Facebook can track every click on a site, how long I’m there, what I’m interested in,” told Weichert to German newspaper FAZ. He argues that the “Like” button on one’s website illegally sends the data to Facebook, which is then used to profile and understand web habits.

In its press release, the Independent Centre for Privacy Protection reveals its concern that Facebook uses the data to create “a broad individual and for members even a personalized profile. Such a profiling infringes German and European data protection law. There is no sufficient information of users and there is no choice; the wording in the conditions of use and privacy statements of Facebook does not nearly meet the legal requirements relevant for compliance of legal notice, privacy consent and general terms of use.”

This isn’t the first time Germany put its foot down to protect its citizen’s privacy. The street view of one’s home on Google map can be pixelated, if the homeowner chooses to. Also, Facebook’s facial recognition feature has been criticized.

Weichert and the Independent Centre for Privacy Protection are showing resistance to Facebook’s growing intrusion into user’s privacy but it’s a battle that everyone else chose to avoid. Yes, Facebook is intrusive, but only if you let it be.  Anyone who clicks a “Like” button is taking the responsibility to share that information. The feature shouldn’t be banned since it is only an option, if someone wishes to share information about his/her interests.

A lot of people are concerned about Facebook’s privacy settings but users need to remember that they are the ones with complete power in deciding which information to share or not.

As of April 19th, 2010, Facebook no longer offers users the ability to “Become a Fan” of a page.  Instead, the option to “Like” a page will be the new way to connect with a company’s fan page.  This is not to be confused with the option to “Like” a status, comment, photo, etc. however, which will still simply mean showing one’s approval for another’s action.

Instead, this new form of liking will carry all the same connotation as becoming a fan used to, meaning stories from a page one likes will still show up in their newsfeed and a list of pages one likes will still be displayed in their info section. This change may seem arbitrary and unnecessary on Facebook’s behalf—considering the web has seen a flurry of articles about the existence and effect of this change on Facebook and SEM.

Why Change One Word?

So, many people are wondering why Facebook would go through all this trouble to change one word on their website.  Facebook has stated that they made this change to promote consistency throughout the site.  Basically, instead of having different terms for different actions, Facebook wants to group as many actions together as possible.

Moreover, a recent study revealed that Facebook users click the “Like” button much more frequently than they click the “Become a Fan” button. Therefore, there may be some grounds to support changing the button based upon this study; however, it would seem to us, as Internet marketers, like comparing apples and oranges.

Future of the Changes

In general, this change reflects Facebook’s attempt to make connecting with a fan page less committal, in an effort to promote user fan page interaction, as this is their main source of revenue. They are considering “liking” something to be less serious than “becoming a fan.” Facebook expects that this change will positively affect users’ probabilities of connecting with a page.

The question then becomes, once users realize the change and comprehend that “liking” a page is equivalent to previously “becoming a fan,” will their behavior still confirm to Facebook’s predictions?  We aren’t sold but regardless, Facebook contends it will stimulate a permanent shift in user perception of connecting to fan pages.

Only time will tell whether this change will have a significant effect on Facebook users’ behavior, but in the meantime, Facebook page owners should ensure their followers understand that nothing has changed about their relationship with the fan page, other than the name of the most important action.