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Facebook ID Probe Shows Things Getting Worse

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the what-is-a-friend-anyway dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to Sophos, Facebook users are getting sloppier with their personal info, not better. Revisiting a 2007 survey in which a plastic frog got 87 hits out of 200 friend requests, this time a rubber duck and a cat got 87 out of 200 friend requests, plus a bonus 8 friends who decided to trust them anyway. The research also suggests that older Facebook users are sloppier than the young, being keener to build their list of friends. (The older users had more than 4x the friends each, on average, than the young.)"

14 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Olders users know more people? by TheSeventh · · Score: 4, Funny

    The older users had more than 4x the friends each, on average, than the young.

    It's like older users know more people than younger users, and that's just not possible. Kids know everything, just ask them.

    --
    Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean that they're not out to get you.
    1. Re:Olders users know more people? by Darth_brooks · · Score: 4, Funny

      "When I was 18, I thought my father was the dumbest man on earth. By the time I turned 23, I was amazed what the old man had learned in five years." - Unknown

      --
      There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
    2. Re:Olders users know more people? by megamerican · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, this is based on a completely unscientific poll of my brain cells, but it seems older users would be more likely to, at least initially, treat sites like Facebook as something new to just try out, a fun toy more than a serious part of their lives, and thus less likely to care that much about how they expose themselves on such a site.

      Old people exposing themselves on facebook seems like a far larger problem than than this article speaks of.

      --
      If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
    3. Re:Olders users know more people? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Well, that certainly adds a new wrinkle to the problem...

    4. Re:Olders users know more people? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      "Imma let you finish but Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill have the most amount of quotes falsely attributed to them of all time"

      -Mark Twain

  2. Unfair Tests by happy_place · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who doesn't want to be friends with a rubber ducky. Anyone raised on that nefarious propaganda brain-washing show, 'Sesame Street' knows to sing "Rubber ducky! You're the one! You make bathtime so much fun! Rubber ducky, you're the only one for me!" I mean who wouldn't want to be friends with a rubber ducky? It's much more meaningful a relationship than anyone you knew from High School.

    --
    http://www.beanleafpress.com
    1. Re:Unfair Tests by electricbern · · Score: 4, Funny

      It is also unlikely the rubber ducky will steal your personal data or use your private information with any evil intentions. The cat on the other hand, likely.

      --
      alias possession='chmod 666 satan && ls /dev > il && tail daemon.log'
  3. Re:Useless results by Fred_A · · Score: 2, Funny

    This proves nothing of any use, since the first probe was done in the UK, and the more recent one in Australia.

    Sure it does. It shows a disturbing trend among the people of the Commonwealth.

    --

    May contain traces of nut.
    Made from the freshest electrons.
  4. They got me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was sure I knew that duck! Now that little bastard know all about me...

  5. Re:Possibly because... by suso · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes and clearly Facebook isn't about "who do you know now", its about "who have you known through your whole life who can come back to haunt you".

  6. Re:That, or we don't give a shit. by Bottles · · Score: 5, Funny

    Daer Friend We rite 2 u as reprazentative of the King Of Pencils who has lately been deposed in horrible sharpening accident may he rest in pease. After grate searchingz we have found u 2 B long lost relative with business sometimes related to requirement of writing and/or shading in. The King has in receipt of great funds to the amount of 750,000 of American Dollars which he wishes to translate to your country of origin in order to pass on to a selection of HB and HB2 illustrative and artistic pencils whom he holds dear in hiz hart. As for helping the King (rest his shavings in pease) to transfer this funds to your country of origen we, as many penicls, are authorized to give you a ten porcent of his great funds, for 75,000 US Funds Dollars. Please do not delay contact immeatedly this pencils or we must find another fine friend and business colleage to do with this business! Contact immedatily! Send by e-mail. Your Respect Friend Some Pencils

  7. Skewed results... by VShael · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was running a similar experiment. And my pet cat Heisenberg befriended the Rubber Duck, a Nigerian prince, a Ukrainian boyband, and various sundry inanimate objects from other similar experiments.

  8. Re:Nah - I think you can blame Mafia Wars, Farmvil by Sillygates · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think you can blame Mafia Wars, Farmville

    Thanks for reminding me. I need to harvest my crops!

    --
    I fear the Y2038 bug
  9. You can do that to your friend's list? by ThrowAwaySociety · · Score: 4, Funny

    Heck I've gone through my friend's list and purged out people I don't talk to or in other instances strongly dislike from way back in high school.

    Personally, I think its irresponsible of your friend to have given you the kind of access necessary to remove people from his or her list.