Why Can't You 'Dislike' Anything on Facebook?

Aug. 18, 2010— -- Maybe it's time for Facebook to take off its rose-colored glasses.

The latest scam to hit the social networking site succeeded, in part, because it seemed to offer a function that some users want: the ability actually to "dislike" content on the "like"-happy site.

Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant with the security firm Sophos, said in a blog post Monday that a fake "dislike" button was going viral on Facebook.

"This latest scam… tempts you with the offer of a "dislike" button (as opposed to the normal "like" button) so you can express your opinions on other users' posts, links and uploads," he said. Once downloaded, the rogue application accesses your profile and then spreads by sending spam messages to friends listed in your account.

Facebook's management soon said it was working to block and remove the malicious program.

But would Facebook ever actually give in to members who want an antidote to the rampant "liking" across the site?

In July, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told ABC News that they would "definitely think about" a "dislike" button.

"People definitely seem to want it," Zuckerberg said in an interview with Diane Sawyer.

When asked about it by ABC News Tuesday, Facebook declined to comment on the possibility of a "dislike" button.

The company said that with 500 million users, 70 percent of whom are based outside the U.S., it made sense for Facebook to offer an easy-to-understand term such as "like." The word is simple and can be translated easily, it said.

But some Facebook users think it's insufficient.

"If [friends] post anything that has any sort of political point of view or even a strong opinion, you know, basically, you click 'like' and you're suggesting that you are agreeing with the opinion expressed in the piece. If you like a piece but you disagree with it, you've got no option," said Dan Tynan, a technology reporter and co-author of the technology humor site eSarcasm. "It makes a statement about you to your various friends that may not be true."