Facebook's Plan To Automatically Share Your Data

Giosuele sends in this excerpt from TechCrunch: "In anticipation of a slew of new features that will be launching at f8, today Facebook announced that it was once again making changes to its privacy policy. One of the biggest changes that Facebook is making involves applications and third-party websites. We've been hearing whispers from multiple sources about these changes, and the announcement all but confirms what Facebook is planning to do. In short, it sounds like Facebook is going to be automatically opting users into a reduced form of Facebook Connect on certain third party sites — a bold change that may well unnerve users, at least at first."

Comments

So?

[DogDude]

So what? Everybody who gave all of their personal information to a new company willy-nilly technically agreed that they could change their policies at will.Sure, nobody reads all of the legal-ese, but you're voluntarily giving VALUABLE personal information to a FOR PROFIT company. What did people THINK would happen? Did people think that Facebook would, as a corporate entity say, "We don't really want the revenue from selling our users' information?" I don't understand how people can be so naive.

Re:i used to complain

[schmidt349]

My Facebook profile identifies my religious and political views, my intellectual interests, and past and present occupations. What part of any of that obtains in "shallowness?"

A computer isn't a trivial toy, even though you can use one to play video games and argue on Slashdot all day. By the same token, Facebook isn't "endless navel gazing" even though you can use it to trumpet your superiority to your fellow man, whether that comes from flashy clothes or smug overgeneralizations like yours. Facebook is a powerful tool for social organization of all kinds, from sex to business to international politics and everything in between.

If you don't like the tool, or you don't like its privacy policy, that's fine; don't use it, and feel free to criticize the shortcomings you have problems with. But get off your high horse. You aren't a better person than I am because you avoid "shallowness," or because you refuse to acknowledge the value of your individuality. We are all interesting in different ways to different people, and there's nothing wrong with making that available to the rest of the world. Maybe you aren't the kind of guy to care about what kind of clothing I wear, but if my friend or her sister does that doesn't make her "worse" than you are in some metaphysical sense.