In the past few weeks I’ve read that some congress critters, along with a smattering of states Attorneys General, are calling for public hearings/investigations concerning privacy issues at Facebook.

Why?

In many ways this is just another in a long line of don’t-they-have-better-things-to-do, high profile, faux public outrages.

While I haven’t made much use of Facebook for much of anything, I do have an account and have some degree of concern about their seeming lack of concern for user security.

But do the screw-ups of a privately-owned company, whose product is largely recreational and which has little or no impact on America’s economic security, really merit the attention of our national legislature?

Really?

Isn’t this more an educational issue? One where people learn, sometimes the hard way, to take responsibility for their own digital imprint.

And about the larger community educating each other and banding together to pressure Facebook into making the changes they want? Or leaving and using other tools for socializing online.

Because no one with a Facebook account signed up for life and, although they don’t make it especially easy, it is still possible to quit.

Let’s face it, this isn’t the first time that a popular internet company has done something to upset a very noisy web minority and it won’t be the last.

However, that doesn’t mean they need to make a federal case out of it.