27 replies to this topic

[Orcseeker]

MissMelsWell, on 08 December 2012 - 03:28 PM, said:

I could not care less what facebook does with my data in terms of advertising. If it means they'll provide me more ads about things I'm interested in, so be it. My local grocery store does pretty much the same thing too. In fact, my TV, all stores, my bank, EVERYONE is compiling your data and using it or selling it. It's a fact of life.

And, I love my Facebook. It's how I keep in touch with family and friends. It's how I keep track of what I'm going out to do on weekends.

I have my security settings dialed in. I've built audience lists, I don't add people I don't know in real life (with just a very few exceptions) I don't generally comment on public posts, and none of my posts are displayed publically.

If you know how to use Facebook and configure it correctly, it's not a problem... unfortunately, most people don't know how.

Well the problem with Facebook selling your information is that they don't need to keep it anonymous. Google, Microsoft and maybe even your local grocery states that your information anonymous which is the key difference.

Sure I wouldn't mind using google and have them see how I is their applications or the queries made and location to gear advertisements towards me that relate to the criteria as long as it is anonymous.

With Facebook, everything from your phone number to your old high school is information that can be given away without any anonymity.

[Kazoo]

Orcseeker, on 08 December 2012 - 10:06 PM, said:

Well the problem with Facebook selling your information is that they don't need to keep it anonymous. Google, Microsoft and maybe even your local grocery states that your information anonymous which is the key difference.

Sure I wouldn't mind using google and have them see how I is their applications or the queries made and location to gear advertisements towards me that relate to the criteria as long as it is anonymous.

With Facebook, everything from your phone number to your old high school is information that can be given away without any anonymity.

My phone number is a secret? My high school is a secret?

The answer is incredibly simple: Don't put anything you don't want facebook to know on facebook.

Seriously I could care less if this passes or not. Because I don't have anything on Facebook that is a secret. They can sell my information to whatever they want. They provide an amusing free service to keep in contact for many people without forcing us to pay or making extremely annoying advertisements. If they use the fact I "liked" a shoe brand on Facebook and selled that information to a company. Why do I care?

Edited by Kazoo, 08 December 2012 - 10:10 PM.

[G Donnelly]

Orcseeker, on 08 December 2012 - 09:59 PM, said:

Are there a lot of members in this group? Any members with a more than necessary amount of friends? ( primarily asking this as their activity on the group could be known to 1000+ people and spread the groups existence around)

If there are any of your details or anyone's on there you could let them know about and probably remove if you can.

It's only a select gang of about fifty or sixty which is pretty minute in the grand scheme of things.
However this "open group" efforts seen to be petering out while the novelty wears off.
There's going to be some good news soon which might make it moot anyway.
The same thing applies to my own Facebook page with again only fifty odd people.
If you've talking about six degrees of separation my other "friends" would disturb you.
Things could easily be spread between this lot.

Edited by Walnut Whip, 09 December 2012 - 08:13 AM.

[Orcseeker]

Kazoo, on 08 December 2012 - 10:10 PM, said:

My phone number is a secret? My high school is a secret?

The answer is incredibly simple: Don't put anything you don't want facebook to know on facebook.

Seriously I could care less if this passes or not. Because I don't have anything on Facebook that is a secret. They can sell my information to whatever they want. They provide an amusing free service to keep in contact for many people without forcing us to pay or making extremely annoying advertisements. If they use the fact I "liked" a shoe brand on Facebook and selled that information to a company. Why do I care?

Do you think that business practise is ethical?

[Orcseeker]

Walnut Whip, on 09 December 2012 - 08:12 AM, said:

It's only a select gang of about fifty or sixty which is pretty minute in the grand scheme of things.
However this "open group" efforts seen to be petering out while the novelty wears off.
There's going to be some good news soon which might make it moot anyway.
The same thing applies to my own Facebook page with again only fifty odd people.
If you've talking about six degrees of separation my other "friends" would disturb you.
Things could easily be spread between this lot.

Usually in cases like these I wouldn't be worried about much. You should be ok. The huge amount of groups out there, from closed to open, they'd probably only really target ones that could turn to high crime and probably work on profiling users for the authorities. The problem I have is that they have the ability to do things like this.

Even if it is a free service, I don't believe the practice to be ethical. Google offers a wider array of free services (even including an alternative to Facebook), does Google try to tuck away the fine print into what you are really signing up for? Does Google increase the terms and conditions they have by tens and tens of pages each time? Google notifies users when they make changes to it. Facebook is obviously trying to deter more and more users from reading the t&c and sneak some more stuff in and pretty much pass whatever they can and try to justify it by saying, "hey, it's free".

The market they are in is extremely competitive and without the people on their side, they're nothing, it's what they are comprised of after all.

Edited by Orcseeker, 09 December 2012 - 10:04 AM.

[G Donnelly]

What is it with such and so's inviting you to "birthdays" and "diamond dash"?
My sister was one of these "such and so's" and she insisted it was news to her.
After hearing all these horror stories I know who the real culprit is...
It's Facebook deploying their enormous army of autobots and stealing people's identities.
Btw I couldn't believe the indifference of that other guy..

[MissMelsWell]

Orcseeker, on 08 December 2012 - 10:06 PM, said:

Well the problem with Facebook selling your information is that they don't need to keep it anonymous. Google, Microsoft and maybe even your local grocery states that your information anonymous which is the key difference.

Sure I wouldn't mind using google and have them see how I is their applications or the queries made and location to gear advertisements towards me that relate to the criteria as long as it is anonymous.

With Facebook, everything from your phone number to your old high school is information that can be given away without any anonymity.

My phone number (which isn't on Facebook anyway) and my high school aren't a secret and they never were. Where I was hanging out last Friday night wasn't a secret either.

If it was a secret, and I didn't want people to know I was at Slim's Last Chance in Seattle last Friday night, I would do the following on Facebook:

1. I wouldn't "join" an Invite to the event that was going on there.
2. I would change my security settings so no one could "check me in" there.
3 I would change me security settings so no one could tag me in a photo there.

The reality is that there's nothing on my Facebook page that I haven't already reviewed and I don't post dumb stuff that I don't want people I don't know to see, which they can't anyway.

I don't play games on Facebook, I don't go around liking stupid pages for Tide laundry soap or Wal-Mart. I have liked a few pages for my favorite local bands and some small businesses who post coupons I can use on occasion.

'm going to guess Facebook isn't using my information for much since it's not all that interesting to them or anyone else for that matter.

[Orcseeker]

Walnut Whip, on 09 December 2012 - 04:21 PM, said:

What is it with such and so's inviting you to "birthdays" and "diamond dash"?
My sister was one of these "such and so's" and she insisted it was news to her.
After hearing all these horror stories I know who the real culprit is...
It's Facebook deploying their enormous army of autobots and stealing people's identities.
Btw I couldn't believe the indifference of that other guy..

There are a lot of exploits and a lot of small text people don't read when using applications on facebook

[Orcseeker]

MissMelsWell, on 09 December 2012 - 05:16 PM, said:

My phone number (which isn't on Facebook anyway) and my high school aren't a secret and they never were. Where I was hanging out last Friday night wasn't a secret either.

If it was a secret, and I didn't want people to know I was at Slim's Last Chance in Seattle last Friday night, I would do the following on Facebook:

1. I wouldn't "join" an Invite to the event that was going on there.
2. I would change my security settings so no one could "check me in" there.
3 I would change me security settings so no one could tag me in a photo there.

The reality is that there's nothing on my Facebook page that I haven't already reviewed and I don't post dumb stuff that I don't want people I don't know to see, which they can't anyway.

I don't play games on Facebook, I don't go around liking stupid pages for Tide laundry soap or Wal-Mart. I have liked a few pages for my favorite local bands and some small businesses who post coupons I can use on occasion.

'm going to guess Facebook isn't using my information for much since it's not all that interesting to them or anyone else for that matter.

I understand you are taking a lot of precautions and devaluing of your information. But my main point is, is that their process isn't exactly ethical. You have to agree on that note.

Sure, everyone can argue "it's in the policy" but who has the time to read through hundreds of lines of text of drivel these days? They exploit the fact that most people don't actually read this and they know it and like I said earlier, extend the policies by many more pages every time they update. Basically to make it as long winded as possible to deter people from reading it.

[MissMelsWell]

Orcseeker, on 10 December 2012 - 02:31 PM, said:

I understand you are taking a lot of precautions and devaluing of your information. But my main point is, is that their process isn't exactly ethical. You have to agree on that note.

Sure, everyone can argue "it's in the policy" but who has the time to read through hundreds of lines of text of drivel these days? They exploit the fact that most people don't actually read this and they know it and like I said earlier, extend the policies by many more pages every time they update. Basically to make it as long winded as possible to deter people from reading it.

I always read the TOS and EULAs... but then again,  I worked for Microsoft for 20+/- years. It's not that hard to read and understand if you value your right to use the software.

If I was Facebook and had all that data at my disposal, I'd use it in any way that was legal and didnt' drive my customers/users away. I'm just evil I guess.

[Orcseeker]

MissMelsWell, on 10 December 2012 - 03:30 PM, said:

I always read the TOS and EULAs... but then again,  I worked for Microsoft for 20+/- years. It's not that hard to read and understand if you value your right to use the software.

If I was Facebook and had all that data at my disposal, I'd use it in any way that was legal and didnt' drive my customers/users away. I'm just evil I guess.

What is legal, doesn't exactly mean it is ethical. Especially as, I am sure you are aware, that technology is ahead of the law these days.

Here is the video I mentioned earlier, sorry it has taken a while to dig up, I usually go on UM on my iTouch:

[G Donnelly]

I've had enough of the shenanigans in Facebook.
You have now got those pesky autobots printing invitations.
It's just one big fantasy world where nothing is what it seems.
It beggars belief has to how many traps have been sprung.
One of these invitations brought me to a glorified drop-in centre.
I wanted somewhere with at least a licensed bar and a dancefloor.
It was just a family gathering packed full of people I don't know from Adam.
I don't appreciate being diamond dashed to smithereens all the time as well.
I can see why Lilly opted out.
My account is being closed down until further notice.

Edited by Medium Brown, 20 December 2012 - 11:13 AM.

[G Donnelly]

Why am I getting a raft of happy birthdays on Facebook?

I'm not exactly known for breaking bread with these people.
I don't know whether to be flattered or suspicious.

Edited by Medium Brown, 15 January 2013 - 10:14 PM.