Facebook is now outing LGBT college kids (and others) without their permission

After Bobbi Duncan joined the University of Texas' Queer Chorus, the group added her to a Facebook Inc. discussion group without her consent, which Facebook allows, thereby outing her to almost 200 Facebook friends, including her father, whose reaction was severe enough to precipitate an all-night cry by Duncan. Another choir member, Taylor McCormick was busted the same way, roiling his relationships as well.
     The Chorus president said he didn’t know the software would automatically tell their Facebook friends that they were now members of the chorus, which AKSARBENT finds only partially reassuring in view of the fact that since the discussion book is still a public forum.
     The Wall Street Journal’s Geoffrey A. Fowler said both were savvy Facebook users who took care — or thought they did — to protect their privacy from Facebook's policies.

When he [chorus president Acosta] added Ms. Duncan, which didn't require her prior online consent, Facebook posted a note to her all friends, including her father, telling them that she had joined the Queer Chorus.      When Mr. Acosta pushed the button, Facebook allowed him to override the intent of the individual privacy settings Ms. Duncan and Mr. McCormick had used to hide posts from their fathers.
      Facebook's online help center explains that open groups, as well as closed groups, are visible to the public and will publish notification to users' friends.
     But Facebook doesn't allow users to approve before a friend adds them to a group, or to hide their addition from friends.