Facebook downplays privacy crisis meeting

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

The blogosphere described the meeting as a panic measure following weeks of criticism over the way it handles members' data.

Several US senators have made public calls for Facebook to rethink its privacy safeguards.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, launched a petition directed at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

>

Earlier this week European data protection officials weighed in on the controversy and called privacy changes "unacceptable".

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8681730.stm

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Facebook is a socialist plot without a birf certificate." - Republicon TeaBaggers

"And they don't allow Open Carry. So there." - Republicon TeaBaggers

[dbmk]

2. Deteted my account yesterday

Just have to stay away from logging in for weeks to complete the deletion. I predict 100% success on that.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. That's assuming that those connections don't have a way of keeping it alive.

[CrispyQ]

4. Did you delete or deactivate?

I didn't see a way to delete my account, only a way to deactivate it. I would prefer to delete it if possible. But then I would probably have to activate it before I could delete it. :crazy:

[dbmk]

12. Deleted it

Log in, then paste this url into the address field;
http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account
And confirm from there.

Then do not log in for 14 days and it should be deleted. I say "should" ofc., as I have no illusions about being sure of that actually happening.

But thats the way you do it. And yeah, they don not exactly promote that option. To put it mildly.

[CrispyQ]

13. Thanks!

I'm going to follow your instructions & hope FB really does delete it. Fortunately, I hardly used it. I think I posted two things!

[dipsydoodle]

6. You may have found

that if you'd refered to them as Faecesbook a sufficient number of times that they'd have deleted you. :)

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kali]

7. ...

http://www.dotrights.org/social-networking

especially: http://www.dotrights.org/how-protect-your-information-f...
(instructions for privacy settings)


Dear ACLU Member,

According to news reports, Facebook has called an "all hands" meeting
today to discuss its privacy policies. That's because they are facing
a brewing revolt among Facebook users alarmed by the company's
cavalier attitude toward protecting your privacy.

In recent months, Facebook has rolled out some very privacy-unfriendly
practices, from the "privacy transition" that took away
privacy controls to "instant personalization" that instantly shares
your personal information with third party pages without your consent.

At every step, the ACLU has been there to push back. Why? Because the
less control you have over your own personal information, the more
likely that information could end up in the wrong hands -- including the
government's.

Sign the ACLU's petition. Tell Facebook loud and clear that you want
control of your personal information.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=3DTRcTNOQ9yuGpTqZdEAfY5... ..

[RobinA]

9. Am I The Only

one who never even thought Facebook protected the privacy of the info I put on there? I mean, if I wanted the info private, I wouldn't put it on Facebook. Am I a fogey?

[frylock]

10. no..

there are several people here that get it. i don't know what info people are putting up on FB that they're afraid isn't being protected.

[keopeli]

11. That's what I thought from the beginning.

I only put stuff on Facebook that I don't mind the whole world, including governments, police, ex-lovers and enemies seeing, even if I have it marked as totally private.

[dbmk]

14. No illusions - never put anything there that I could not live with anyone seeing

But that still does not make it right.

I do trust websites to try their best keep my information to themselves. Unless I specifically ask or say yes for them to share it (and by spoecifically telling them, I do not mean an obscure clause in an EULA). Or I would not create an account there.

The moment they start sharing your information with third parties you have no control over who handles that information - and Facebook have made it very difficult to even make a decent attempt at controlling what you _want_ shared with the options avaliable. And there is a huge difference in deciding what you want to make available on Facebook and what you want _pushed_ to other services - even if you argue that whats public is public.

And their history makes it very hard to trust that what you marked as private is not available anyways, through the right maneuvers in the different applications.

On top of that, you have their attempts at more or less gaining ownership over anything you post there. Pictures, texts, everything would be theirs to sell on if they had their way. While doing their best to not make that clear to you as you put it on the site.

There is many ways for the owners of DU to find out who you are. They have a good shot, with the information they have, at determing to your real identity. Now, say they did that and send everything you posted to everyone related to you in your day to day life.

Would your answer be: "Well, if I wanted it private, I wouldn't have put it on the internet."?

[Moochy]

8. Yeah, I heard that the meeting was opt-in

badump bump! :+

[dbmk]

15. More likely an opt-out

With a multi-dimensional matrix of settings that had to be just so to confirm that you indeed did not want to attend.