Why Facebook is selling you out -- and won't stop

[Renew Deal]

My buddy Robert X. Cringely wonders if Facebook is evil or merely incompetent. That's an easy one: both -- not to mention arrogant and greedy. But how surprising is that? Facebook is in business to make money, whether it's from advertising or the increasingly attractive treasure trove of third-party apps. Never mind that "don't be evil" stuff. Mrs. Zuckerberg's boy Mark wants to be a billionaire for real -- not just on paper.
<snip>

Facebook has fooled us not just once, but over and over again, blithely exposing users' private information to any advertiser or creep who happens to get interested. It's a tired drama. The company messes up, it gets caught, the media freaks out, the company apologizes. Then the cycle starts all over, as it did this week when the Wall Street Journal learned that it's not just Facebook harvesting personal data -- Facebook's platform developers are in on it as well. That data is being shared with advertisers and Internet tracking companies, whether or not users have opted for privacy.

What's more, Facebook has apparently decided it's OK for Sarah Palin to use her Facebook page to wage a political crusade, but it's not OK for grassroots activists organizing boycotts against large corporations like Target and BP. For these and a multitude of other transgressions, Boy Billionaire Zuckerberg is the Tech's Bottom Line Bozo of the Month.
<snip>

Selling your privacy

The root of Facebook's most recent transgression (allowing third-party apps to harvest user IDs) is greed -- greed for the millions of dollars that app developers are pulling from the site. Facebook wants a piece of that action, and if privacy, freedom of speech, or any other trivial concern users may have get in the way, that's just too bad.
<snip>

http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/why-facebook-selling-you-out-and-wont-stop-322

[damntexdem]

1. Not me, because I won't use it.

Although I should check to see whether I signed up early on.

[_ed_]

13. You realize that almost all websites do this, right?

Avoiding Facebook won't keep you free from internet advertisers.

[derby378]

2. The solution is to be careful with what information you share

If you don't want the rest of the world to know it, don't post it. Don't assume that a privacy policy is going to be airtight and written with your best interests in mind.

After all, that's how I put the Secret Service on the trail of someone who posted a death threat against Obama on Facebook. Cuts both ways.

[stray cat]

3. anyone using it has decided to use the free service; free is seldom free

[Journeyman]

4. Everyone freaked at "Total Information Awareness". . .

then blithely signed up with Facebook to freely share even more about themselves than the Feds were after.

[Papagoose]

5. I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook

Part of me really wants to shut FB out of my life because of their business practices. I have my security settings tweaked to share as little as possible, yet I know that FB still shares more than I am happy with and that's not to mention the "leaks".

I haven't been able to walk away though, because FB has put me back in touch with so many people and rekindled old relationships with people that I've genuinely missed. Of course, it's also put me back in touch with people that were probably better left in my past, but on the whole it's been more positive than negative.

[grace0418]

6. Don't write anything on Facebook that you want to keep private for any reason

and you'll be fine.

[tridim]

9. Yep, I cringe often at what my friends write about their personal affairs.

Especially when it comes to their kids.

Just THINK, and you'll be okay. It's not hard.

[_ed_]

11. It's really not sinister

For example, when you "like" the Seinfeld TV program, advertisers put ads on your page when his stand-up act is in town. What's the big deal? And, how do you think Facebook allows you to use their site for free?

[northernlights]

7. I don't use Facebook.

and I buy so little online, that any of their vendor pals that send them informatio on me are not likely to be people that I buy from.

I may join Facebook in the spring. Not to socialize, but to try to sell my house through networking. Since I'm looking at it and approaching it totally as a business decision, I expect to be very careful about any actual information I share about myself. And once I've achieved my objective or determined that it won't help me achieve my objective, I will dump Facebook from my life for good. Nothing personal. It's just business.

[jberryhill]

8. Your daily story of "I put all my personal information on a website, and they have my info"

Doesn't anyone get tired of the weekly "OMG a for-profit company is making a profit on information I gave them" shocking story?

Hey, you are not going to believe this one:

I invited an alcoholic to my house the other night, AND HE DRANK ALL MY ALCOHOL!

Just unbelievable, isn't it?

How dense does anyone need to be?

I walked down the street wearing just my underwear the other day, and EVERYONE could SEE my UNDERWEAR!!!

[_ed_]

10. I own an internet marketing company

and I just don't understand the complaint here. How do you think you are able to use Facebook, upload photos, video, etc. for free? It's not just Facebook: nearly any site that depends on ad revenue does the same thing, pulling your personal information (that you voluntarily share) and targeting you for ads that hopefully catch your eye. It's not stealing any private information; it's using information you've voluntarily submitted.

Wouldn't you rather have advertising that is at least targeted to your interests, age, and geographic area rather than conventional ads?

If you're against this, how much are you willing to pay to use Facebook? New York Times? Every other website you likely visit?

[Joe Chi Minh]

14. No. What's more I'm outraged that if I want to buy anything online, or even give to a charity,

I'm required to give personal data that seems to be none of their business. Well... except in the commercial sense of the word.

It's like the volume of the ads on TV sets - with sounds within a certain register or registers, eliminated, in order to make the volume sound much louder; making the ads more shrill, while, in their warped minds, enabling them to say, "we don't turn up the volume." And because governments and politicans are their hirelings, no-one will tackle them about it. They ride rough-shod over us all, at their whim. I try to minimise my contribution to them in that direction.

[_ed_]

16. Charities selling your private information

is another thing entirely. I hate when they do that. I understand that times are tough for non-profits, but I really think that crosses a line.

[Joe Chi Minh]

12. Just get off the confounded things. Simplify your lives, and don't feed

the monster.

[katty]

15. I signed off of FB and of course i got a deluge of emails from

them...it is useful if you have friends around the world, business stuff--but i really don't give a damn if you put a new roll of toilet paper on the roller at 8AM and the cat played with it....bla bla bla

[DumpDavisHogg]

17. Facebook is the new Free Republic

I can't believe how right-wing some of the groups on Facebook are. Facebook refuses to delete a group that prays for Obama's death, yet they delete the accounts of people who disagree with this group.