Facebook users are pissed off after Facebook’s privacy issues. This is nothing new, as they have been pushing their plan of taking over the Internet, users are getting pissed off enough to delete their own Facebook accounts.
Frankly, it is not surprising. I am not sure about other countries, but if anyone remembers Pinky and the Brain… I am just about relating that to Facebook’s mentality on how they dominate the Internet. I like to use Facebook, but I am concerned if it comes to my information being carelessly shared with people who have no business knowing it.
Of course, I am pretty lax about my own information, going as far as even sharing my birth name here on Blondish.net because I have nothing to hide and because I kind of agree with Tony Bradley’s article on PC Word called Facebook Privacy: Mea Culpa Reality Check, let me add:
– Did you share your Social Security Number or equivalent?
– Did you share how you go to the restroom?
– Did you share that embarrassing college moment?
My advice in this matter is that if you are not comfortable sharing your information with others online, then do not fill all those blanks out in your Facebook profile (or any of your social network profiles.) I know my own father is hesitant to join Facebook because he already has an issue with his patients (he is a Physician Assistant) trying to get his home and cell number. How do I know? – people have called me to try to get it!
The problem is that when you go online and fill out anything with your own information, the search engines WILL pick it up. So, if you are not comfortable, do not fill out all of the user profile information.
Unless Facebook requested you to put driver’s license, country residence, your exact home address, or social security number (or equivalent in another country), then it is pointless to delete. Be responsible for your information first.
It has been known that Facebook has been inching toward some kind of plan to let everything be open. I do have to put my own foot down as I do believe that even though Facebook offers a great and free service, the company should make sure the users feel like they can use it and not fear for their lives. It is bad enough that employers are looking online to check a person’s background by merely conducting a search through Google. That and the fact Facebook brings in a lot of money from its users – (point of view change) come on Facebook – give your users some love!
What are your thoughts on Facebook and its privacy
The thing is, facebook keep data that you’ve removed. It wouldn’t surprise me if they keep it even after you deactivate your entire account… so removing your entire account just seems pointless.
I have recently edited my profile, but there wasn’t anything on there that people can’t find elsewhere anyway. It’s not like I’m advertising my bank details, haha.
Yes, and that is a bit disturbing. Why keep it? What are they going to do with that information?
Well, I do not either. I think the most personal stuff I have online is on my own website where I can control it. I do not care if people know my phone number, but like you… I do not share my bank details… 🙂
I've got so sick and tired of Facebook lately with all the rubbish that people send you and this latest problem with Privacy on Facebook is just edging me closer to removing myself but, if they don't remove your information, I might as well keep the account just to promote my blog, music and whatever else!
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I think it might take someone actually taking Facebook to court to get their Privacy done the right way. It is really annoying that they believe they can pull a big biz move by doing this. It makes people paranoid and not want to social network… like 10 years ago when people were still timid about sharing certain info online.
There's two parts to this privacy issue…. one is the mechanics and real technical privacy… and the other is creating an environment where your users FEEL like they have privacy (or access to it) whether or not it exists. During Facebooks mess with their old Beacon technology, that landed them having to make a hefty "donation" to keep their rear out of the frying pan for privacy violations, the privacy was not real but the average user felt like they had good access to the ability to control their privacy settings. Today, not only is the privacy not real, but the average user is getting good and scared. This is the kind of mix, fact + fear, that creates big issues for companies. If they can not calm the masses soon, what they do from technical perspectives (which so far we've seen is nada) won't really matter. Users will be looking for the first available opportunity to jump on a Diasporia based site, or another site that promises to protect them above profits.
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(Pardon me while I go kick IntenseDebate for cropping my post!… okay, back, better now! whew…)
All of that said – I won't be leaving facebook. I don't post anything I'm not content with my neighbor, my grandma, a stranger, and my second grade teacher knowing. However, I grew up in a small family business and my life has always been relatively transparent. From a business perspective transparency is often called for. We simply have to remember to protect the (fewer) pieces of data that we do not want mass-circulated. (Facebook lists are a really powerful approach for data control in terms of who gets to see what post, and can be used to "protect" family from seeing too many interest type posts on your profile.)
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I think that people often do not look into these features like lists. I do not use them much myself as I do not put my dirty laundry out there, but I see so many that still do that it reminds me of the MySpace days when it seemed all shiny and cool.
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Intense Debate does weird things at times. I like it, but once in a while I get messages saying a user's comment was deleted. It was not deleted, but it did not show up anywhere except in my WP admin panel….so I have to simply click edit and update comment for it to become visible.