For those of you on Facebook...

[jd997uk]

Your information is out there, Facebook or no Facebook. Sad but true.

A couple of time some friends on Facebook have posted up a warning about peoples phone numbers being accessable. So what? Don't put the numbers up then!
I have no personal worries as I'm living in Spain, have no official address (live with friends), prepay (pay as you go) mobile and a dormant bank account. Clone my ID all you like, see how far you get!

[illy5603]

Who are 'they'. And what would they be doing with what ever 'they' are collecting. If this 'Facebook' is just another mechansim to peddle adverts directly linked to browsing habits then I'm kinda glad I've never used it. I have a credit card, I have Sky and I subscribe to an Architects Journal. Now what ? Sorry what has that got to do with anything. I don`t get spam mail, don't get junk mail generally, and don`t get bothered by nuisance phonecalls. But then I don`t publish my private details across the internet. That would be very very silly....

I'm not the one who is worried about who "they" are, I will leave that to the rest of the tinfoil hat set. For your information, I don't get spam, junk mail or nuisance phone calls either and that is my whole point...

[kolla]

"They" are a whole lot of people, from shady marketing people doing advertising to criminal organisations that use identities for a whole range of activities. Getting spam in the mail is the least people should worry about.

[Piru]

I remember having to keep a stupid paper book around the house with phone numbers

You didn't have cell phones around there?

Here's a news flash too. Unless you don't use a credit card

Nope.

subscribe to Cable / Satellite TV

Nope.

subscribe to ANY web services

I create email redirect for each service I subscribe to. If I get any spam to that address I just remove the redirect. If I need to use it again (for instance to recover the password) I just reinstate the forward.

or magazines

Nope.

"they" already have your information. Staying off of Facebook isn't keeping anyone from getting marketing data off of you, it is just an alternative way of getting it.

Actually, in my case I'm keeping my digital fingerprint as small as possible. Joining Facebook wouldn't help that.

Small trade off for the ability to keep track of all my ex-girlfriends as they get fatter and fatter each year on Facebook.

I get my social pr0n fix from elsewhere.

[vidarh]

Facebook in particular had some major privacy issues. I think they have improved on them greatly.

My impression is that they've gotten just worse and worse. With Facebook you pretty much have to assume that anything you post will become 100% public at some point or another, since they keep changing what the privacy settings mean and how things work with little warning and unless you keep an eye on your privacy settings, suddenly you'll find that something has changed visibility of your stuff again.

I have a Facebook account, but nearly every privacy setting is set to the max and I only ever post things I'd be equally happy to put on my blog for the entire world to see.

[TheGoose]

I'd like to see a de-centralized social networking application.  Kinda like what peer-to-peer did for downloading. Fxxx Zuckabee.

[mikeymike]

I started using Facebook because my brother was living in S. Korea for a few years, and it allowed him to broadcast updates and share not-particularly-personal photos without having to send loads of e-mails.

I just use it as a convenient means of keeping up-to-date with about 30 people I have as friends on it.  One irritating thing about it is having to regularly check privacy settings in case they're trying to peddle some new way of exploiting the information I've given them and automatically opt me in to it.  The other irritation are some people I know playing Facebook games.  Yes, I am *so* interested that you're playing Farmville 24/7, really.  Instant hide/de-friend/whatever.

One thing I find a bit disturbing about it is something I read recently that more Internet traffic goes to Facebook than Google.  It seems like loads of people have found Big Brother:  The Next Generation, and they're drowning their brain cells in it.

[LoadWB]

Fxxx Zuckabee.

"They" have made a movie about "him" now.  Next we will see "Girls Gone Wild: The True Story" or something like that, I suppose.

[illy5603]

@Piru, great idea about the redirects! Thanks. I had just dedicated my hotmail account for all of my crap e-mails and forum junk but your idea is better for tracking spam source.

[LoadWB]

@Piru, great idea about the redirects! Thanks. I had just dedicated my hotmail account for all of my crap e-mails and forum junk but your idea is better for tracking spam source.

Yup, simplicity at its best.  I have a similar approach using tagged throw-away email addresses for everything.  Once one gets spammed, I remove the email address and chastise the associated provider.

[scuzzb494]

I'm not the one who is worried about who "they" are, I will leave that to the rest of the tinfoil hat set. For your information, I don't get spam, junk mail or nuisance phone calls either and that is my whole point...

But you said, and I quote ...

' Here's a news flash too. Unless you don't use a credit card, subscribe to Cable / Satellite TV, subscribe to ANY web services or magazines, "they" already have your information. '

... end your quote.

But you don`t say who 'they' are.... So how by me using a credit card will who ever, they know something about me. I don`t use a credit card on line so explain what should concern me here.

The Sky thing really beffudled me given that I watch Sky but thats about that. So what are 'they' to do with me watching TV. I have never shared any computer information or credit information or shopped with Sky so confused.

And the magazine thing makes no sense given that I pay by cheque for a magazine so how do ' they ' do what ever.

The suggestion is that these companies would release my payment and address details. Given that I don`t have any issues they can`t be doing that. I trust these people to keep my information private as it is in their interests to do so. Unlike a social networking site which makes its money from the proliferation of human trivia and no doubt the linking of adverts to all those that susbribe in the guise of providing some kind of service to society. Its called self actualisation if I recall and here is the newsflash... Those that use such facilities are at the mercy of those that hold your information. Everyone to their own. I can think of better things to do with my time...

[illy5603]

@Scuzz,

I hear you but I think you are missing my point. My point is simply that online information harvesting is just a more efficient method of what other offline companies have been doing for years.

For example; my mother in law bought us a subscription to a history magazine for Christmas. A few weeks later we started getting stuff in the mail for civil war memorabilia, coin collecting, etc.

You are right that people walk like cattle into these types of harvesters online but my question is, so what? At worst I get ads at least remotely similar to the stuff I "like" and if I don't want to click on them, I don't click on them. I don't get spam as a result of Facebook, just exposure to advertising which is almost unavoidable in modern society.
 
I can understand finding sites like Facebook pretentious, self aggrandizing and narcissistic, but it has a practical application too as Red has found out.
 
Anyway, I have contributed already to too much thread hijacking. If you like it fine, if you don't fine.

[TheGoose]

@Scuzz,

You are right that people walk like cattle into these types of harvesters online but my question is, so what? At worst I get ads at least remotely similar to the stuff I "like" and if I don't want to click on them, I don't click on them. I don't get spam as a result of Facebook, just exposure to advertising which is almost unavoidable in modern society.
 
I can understand finding sites like Facebook pretentious, self aggrandizing and narcissistic, but it has a practical application too as Red has found out.

Wow, and I was just about to work on my never used account until you brought up all these sentiments to which I completely agree. Thanks for snapping me out of it! :lol: Also called a "bovine movement" when people do something senselessly/unknowingly in mass.

[redrumloa]

Also called a "bovine movement" when people do something senselessly/unknowingly in mass.

You mean like a bunch of retro geeks afraid of a new technology? Sorry, but it goes both ways :lol:

[minator]

I joined FB eons ago but like most folks, didn't have much of a use for it.

Then, I discovered one of my friends who lives abroad was on it and actually it's turned out a pretty good way to keep in touch.  I'm also in touch with a load of other people who are abroad, or I'm abroad from.

As for privacy concerns, well duh! don't put anything sensitive on it!

[SamuraiCrow]

I've just joined Twitter but will leave Facebook alone.  My 3 sisters are on Facebook but they can have it.  I've had viruses come out of Facebook because the security is lax on there.