some.old.lady.: Stuff like this just bolsters my resolve to never do FB.

:: shudder ::

If I have to ask what doing FB is, I probably can't afford it can I?

StealthStalker: If I have to ask what doing FB is, I probably can't afford it can I?

It's, uh...Facebook...and it's, ya know...free.

FTA: Basically, Facebook is promising not to do it again. You know, it really, really means it this time. It's not paying a fine, but it is agreeing to allow independent auditors to come in and audit its privacy policies every six months for the next 20 years.

This is such bullshiat. It's an organizational culture thing. If FB's leadership told its managers "hey, user privacy is vital, protect it or else," guess what? This wouldn't be a problem.

FB's ideal business model requires no privacy online. They know that. They're gonna keep it up until the end of time.

Here's the thing though: Mark Zuckerberg -- nice guy though he may be

Why do people say things like this? The guy is an asshole, it's ok to say it. There's nothing nice about who he is and what he does.

I'd be more concerned with Columbia University. Apparently they gave a graduate degree to a Mr. Henn, a guy who had himself interviewed and 'wrote' an article about it. Maybe if he spent a little less time playing ultimate frisbee and/or hanging out with Ozzy, he would have more time to find others to interview. It isn't just Facebook that exposes your love for martinis, or exploring the hills, ocean and forests of California. With a little more investigating you might have found that anything you present online is at risk of becoming public. A tough triathlete like yourself should know that.

//Seriously, there is a reason the FTC hasn't done much here. Might have something to do with no actual "Trade" taking place.

Isn't the whole point of using your real name and all that the point of facebook?

I mean it's NOT having privacy which is the whole point.

mrlewish: Isn't the whole point of using your real name and all that the point of facebook? I mean it's NOT having privacy which is the whole point.

This. While I've been informed of FB doing shady things like "opting in" everyone on a massive data-sharing orgy, I think people are putting an undue share of the burden on Facebook. What annoyed me about the opt-in wasn't that FB was sharing my info without my consent. What pissed me off was that FB was implicitly saying I allowed them to by automatically opting me in without my knowledge or consent. That's the problem, and that's why they're in trouble with the FTC.

Otherwise, Facebook is as public as a restaurant. The restaurant itself can't abuse your personal information (as in, they can't do stuff like peek at your cell phone to put you on an automated calling list -- they have to ask nicely). But anyone else can be recording anything you say or do. So you know what? Don't share your innermost secrets on Facebook. Don't share anything like your address, phone number or other sensitive information. You can, however, upload all those pictures of your cat and you'll have nothing to lose.

I don't care that Facebook knows who I'm related to. That information's very easy to get in any number of ways; what's more valuable to FB clients is the potential for running queries on the data to look for trends, not learning about my boring life. But the real sensitive stuff like the dead hookers in my basement or, god forbid, my bank account info? It's not going up there in the first place.

welchblvd: FB's ideal business model requires no privacy online. They know that. They're gonna keep it up until the end of time.

And if people were really concerned, they could just *not* use Facebook. There's not exactly a shortage on communication, organization or general social networks.

Except, I think the main issue is that most people (barring some actual concerned populations, like Germany) don't actually care about their privacy online. Perhaps it's that they don't perceive of what that actually entails - and how a bad photo on Facebook or a bad wall post can cost them a future job - or perhaps, for the most part, society is generally just dropping privacy as a primary or at all relevant concern in the digital age.

dragonchild: But anyone else can be recording anything you say or do. So you know what? Don't share your innermost secrets on Facebook

Facebook provides supported mechanisms for developers to harvest that information though. They aren't bundling it up themselves, but they are providing the quick-access tools to do so.

It's not going up there in the first place.

As an aside,
You'd be amazed at how many banks store all of your information in plaintext. Then you'd weep at how many don't sanitize their input fields for online banking.

HotWingConspiracy: Why do people say things like this? The guy is an asshole, it's ok to say it. There's nothing nice about who he is and what he does.

No different than any company leader, really.

StealthStalker: some.old.lady.: Stuff like this just bolsters my resolve to never do FB.

:: shudder ::

If I have to ask what doing FB is, I probably can't afford it can I?

In Soviet Amerika, FB does you...

tomcatadam: You'd be amazed at how many banks store all of your information in plaintext.

No I wouldn't; I used to be a programmer/analyst. I monitor and cross-check my accounts relentlessly.

tomcatadam: Facebook provides supported mechanisms for developers to harvest that information though. They aren't bundling it up themselves, but they are providing the quick-access tools to do so.

That's the point. That's the revenue stream. I expect that. Without it, FB would impode from their massive operating costs within weeks. So I post pictures of my cat, not disembowered hookers or the back of my credit card.

People seem to think FB is obligated to make all their information confidential. Not only is that physically impossible, it's unsustainable.

StealthStalker: some.old.lady.: Stuff like this just bolsters my resolve to never do FB.

:: shudder ::

If I have to ask what doing FB is, I probably can't afford it can I?

FB is the father

"Will Facebook get serious about online privacy?"

No.

Get used to it.

The way to use FB successfully is to fictionalize just about everything you put in your profile. I do use my real name in there, but as far as they know, I'm 104 years old, born in Nairobi, live in Burkina Faso, speak Afrikaans and work for the circus. It's actually kind of cool, learning how to read in Afrikaans. it's very similar to Dutch.

I use an online translator to tell them why I hate each and every ad that shows up on the right side of my screen.

It's a great way to stay in touch with people, and I re-read the settings every other day or so in order to look for any fast ones from the twatweasels on Red Bull who run FB.

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