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Facebook Masks Worse Privacy With New Interface

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the it's-a-book-of-faces dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Facebook launched new privacy settings this week. Cosmetically, this means that the settings are explained more clearly and are marginally easier to manage. Unfortunately, some of the most significant changes actually make preserving privacy harder for its users: profile elements that could previously be restricted to 'Only Friends' are now designated as irrevocably publicly available: 'Publicly available information includes your name, profile picture, gender, current city, networks, friend list, and Pages.' Where you could previously preserve the privacy of this information and remain publicly searchable only by name, Facebook now forces you to either give up this information (including your current city!) to anyone with a Facebook account, or to restrict your search visibility — which of course limits the usefulness of the site far beyond how not publicly sharing your profile picture would. That Facebook made this change while simultaneously rolling out major changes to the privacy settings interface seems disingenuous."

9 of 446 comments (clear)

  1. another upgrade by lpaul55 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I guess it depends on what you want to use this for. Me, I want more attention, so it's all good.

    --
    ... now back to the bit mines.
  2. Re:If you want privacy then don't use by tylernt · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you don't want your name, address, phone, measurements,

    If everyone knows my measurement, why do I keep getting penis enlargement spam?!

    --
    DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'
  3. Re:If you want privacy then don't use by Spazztastic · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you don't want your name, address, phone, measurements,

    If everyone knows my measurement, why do I keep getting penis enlargement spam?!

    Because everybody has been lying to you.

    Sorry to break the news...

    --
    Posts not to be taken literally. Almost everything is sarcasm.
  4. greg...let's go to the map! by phillipao · · Score: 5, Funny

    so you can't hide your city anymore...carmen sandiego is FUCKED

  5. Re:Also makes social engineering harder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    PS: Though the spelling error was present, you didn't add any grammatical errors to your post for my enjoyment, as promised in your signature. As a grammar nazi, I am terribly disappointed by this. Please try harder next time. Thanks! :)

    Didn't you see the incorrectly capitalized word in the parent's signature? Of course, a "grammar nazi", your ties to the german (German?) language might make you more accepting of extraneous Capital Letters.

  6. Re:DON'T LIKE iT? DOn'T USE IT !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    well maybe i should STOP USING CAPS and think before i type/troll. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? nigger

  7. Re:If you want privacy then don't use by kimvette · · Score: 2, Funny

    You answered your own question. ;)

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  8. Re:DON'T LIKE iT? DOn'T USE IT !! by uberjack · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wrong answer, bright boy. DO NOT just delete an account, if you're concerned about privacy. The data remains on the server when you delete.

    EDIT your account details FIRST. Change your name to Mickey Mouse, your address to something preposterous like 99999 Lost Highway, Bumfuck, Egypt.

    Thanks for releasing my details, jerk.

  9. Re:DON'T LIKE iT? DOn'T USE IT !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Go back to Bumfuck, Mickey Mouse.