March 28, 2008
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Facebook: Exit Left
I was never a fan of FB. And only after many people encouraged me to log on so that I could see the photos they’ve posted there did I venture to try it out; and I’ve used it sparingly as a networking tool.
I couldn’t believe how much time people spend on FB, updating every single thing they were doing. I mean, couldn’t you just hang out with your friends instead of “hanging out” with them via FB? Give me a break.
One thing I’ve never done is accept invitations via those third-party applications (basically all of them, from “what books you’ve read” to “what color is your heart”). Why? To use those applications, you have to allow the creators of those third-party applications access to your personal profile information, everything personal you put on your FB account. Do you know who authors these third-party applications? Exactly! You don’t! It’s not FB. The writers of these cute little innocuous programs that allow you to sling ninja shots at people or send them Easter eggs are not FB employees. They’re random programmers or companies (for those who’ve incorporated themselves) out there. Do you want them to have your personal information? For what? There is no restriction as to how they use that information.
The kicker to all this—and which will cause me to delete my account—is Beacon, a FB application that mines your cookies even after you’ve logged off. The program allows FB to track where you’ve gone afterwards (like Barnes & Noble or Blockbuster, etc.) and even tracks what items you’ve purchased or put into your Wish Lists. Not only is this information valuable for marketing purposes (which FB can sell to companies), but it is a freaking invasion of privacy!!! Read this CA article here.
That’s it, no more FB, I’m outta here! And, I suggest you do the same too!
As a friend of mine said, “that’s what happens when the owner of the company is a 23-year old.”
On another note, I’ve been rediscovering Friendster.
Comments (11)
Good point. I’m on FB pretty often, but pretty much stay away from all 3rd party apps.
oh tony
Good luck actually deleting your acct. I read a blog awhile back that detailed the harrowing process. Basically, it requires deleting ANY information you’ve put on facebook, and a hefty e-mail exchange back and forth with tech support. As it stands now, you can only deactivate your acct. All your info is still retained while you are in “hibernation.”
yeah, like the commenter above said, there is an NYTimes article that talks about the difficulty erasing your account. However, they are working to resolve it.
I also agree with you that it is good not to allow cookies in your PC.
NOOO DONTT! just refuse to accept those apps. you can make it so you dont get those app requests! COME BACK!
What I like about facebook is the fact that I’ve made contact with several people from college that I haven’t heard from in years. I don’t keep up on it too often though. Generally I just write on peoles walls and send them messages. That’s enough for me, and my preference is xanga, so, that’s where I focus my online time!
I joined FB and then found out: no blogging! So I decided…. I’m outta here! I guess it’s cool….. but I prefer xanga.
thanks ^^ i’m not entirely unpacked, but close enough to breathe a sigh of relief; the end is in sight.
oh i didn’t know it was so difficult to cancel your acct, that IS strange.
I think you are overstating this a bit. Facebook is not “mining your cookies” – really what it is doing is cooperating with it’s affiliates to share information. FB cannot just arbitrarily go through your cookies to find out where you have been. Furthermore, if you do not click the “remember me” checkbox, then Facebook can’t do this (make sure the cookie is deleted).
In a way, it’s worse than you think – it’s really the affiliate sites like Blockbuster and Overstock that are in cahoots with Facebook to share information. By placing a Facebook ad on their site, they are revealing a piece of information to Facebook, because loading the ad in your browser tells Facebook where the ad was loaded from.
Cookies are not a bad thing…without cookies, you would have to log in to every web site every time you used it. They can be abused and can potentially expose you to a loss of privacy, but so can using a credit card, using EZ Pass, and using the membership card at Shop-rite or CVS. It’s important to educate yourself about the risks and balance that against the reward.
One more thing – if you have something personal that you don’t want the world to know, then don’t put it online. It’s as simple as that. Do you think Facebook knows my REAL birthday?