Why are people a;lways complaining about privacy on facebook?

[PuppetSockPenguin]

Define a;lways pleez k, thanx.

It means "at a;ll times".
Obviously.

[ProfessorFarnsworth]

Maybe most people just aren't paranoid

Or maybe they are just wilfully ignorant, wanting to be blind from seeing what society is heading towards as a result of this. They turned the concept of giving up privacy willingly as a trendy thing to do and managed to centralise it into one massive database, it's rather genius.

I see the immense potential in how such information can be used to predict and neutralise political dissent before it even emerges, or worse manipulate people into favouring trends that further erode their rights.

[Osensitive1]

Your posts are four threes, professor.

[ProfessorFarnsworth]

Your posts are four threes, professor.

Not anymore.

But eh, I'm not too concerned as I don't have a Facebook or mobile phone. But I have a feeling it's going to get to a point where life will become difficult if you don't have either. That's kind of how things are forced onto you eventually as more systems integrate Facebook and/or the requirement of a mobile phone number, so eventually, you won't have a choice to avoid it if you want a comfortable life.

[Osensitive1]

Don't have facebook or phone either. The forced notion seems a stretch on first thought, but having lived through the evolution of plastic tender, have to say it's a very interesting perception and who knows what power virtual social networking will hold three or four decades from now.

[midlifeaspie]

Your posts are four threes, professor.

Not anymore.

But eh, I'm not too concerned as I don't have a Facebook or mobile phone. But I have a feeling it's going to get to a point where life will become difficult if you don't have either. That's kind of how things are forced onto you eventually as more systems integrate Facebook and/or the requirement of a mobile phone number, so eventually, you won't have a choice to avoid it if you want a comfortable life.

They said the same thing about driver's licenses.  Personally, I just don't think I am interesting enough or important enough for big brother to give a shit about what I am up to.

[ProfessorFarnsworth]

Your posts are four threes, professor.

Not anymore.

But eh, I'm not too concerned as I don't have a Facebook or mobile phone. But I have a feeling it's going to get to a point where life will become difficult if you don't have either. That's kind of how things are forced onto you eventually as more systems integrate Facebook and/or the requirement of a mobile phone number, so eventually, you won't have a choice to avoid it if you want a comfortable life.

They said the same thing about driver's licenses.  Personally, I just don't think I am interesting enough or important enough for big brother to give a shit about what I am up to.

No they wouldn't, but they can sure as hell make sure it never goes beyond that.

The way I see it, knowledge is power.

[ProfessorFarnsworth]

It may seem paranoid, but if there's one advantage of being paranoid it's this, I am hyper-vigilant and see the enormous potential on how to manipulate, entice and blackmail people with information I could obtain from someone's Facebook by hopes they or one of their friends "friend" me on there. It could range from destroying their friendships/relationships/job prospects to getting them arrested for a confessed crime, or a rare worse case, get them beaten up/killed even (if someone is already out for their blood and you just happen to let them know where they live). You could argue that before online social networking this happens and why should it be any different now? Well time is the difference, before it was a bit too time consuming and costly to even bother, but now that's no longer a problem.

So if I can think of cunning ways to abuse information to play people to my interests, surely I'm not the only one thinking that.

[Adam]

Sure, but what are the chances of someone actually doing that? (ie someone on your facebook using information you've posted to find out where you live and beat you up. that's pretty extreme)

People seem to be forgetting that you're not FORCED to post where you live or your phone number or wife etc etc etc

And you have control over who sees what

I find it very hard to talk to people in person, so facebook has helped me LOADS with my relationships with family members (as sad as that may sound). I'm not gonna give that up over some paranoid fear that an old schoolfriend is suddenly gonna decide to track me down and kill me

[Parts]

Don't have facebook or phone either. The forced notion seems a stretch on first thought, but having lived through the evolution of plastic tender, have to say it's a very interesting perception and who knows what power virtual social networking will hold three or four decades from now.

 Good for you  for being  and not following the pack

Opps your the one that doesn't want the    will  later to even you out but you get the idea

[ProfessorFarnsworth]

Sure, but what are the chances of someone actually doing that? (ie someone on your facebook using information you've posted to find out where you live and beat you up. that's pretty extreme)

People seem to be forgetting that you're not FORCED to post where you live or your phone number or wife etc etc etc

And you have control over who sees what

I find it very hard to talk to people in person, so facebook has helped me LOADS with my relationships with family members (as sad as that may sound). I'm not gonna give that up over some paranoid fear that an old schoolfriend is suddenly gonna decide to track me down and kill me

Very low for the extreme example but higher for anything less. But more subtle methods can be done without any physical harm, but with lots of emotional distress.

Yes you can choose what to hide or omit, but it doesn't stop other family members, friends, co-workers, community groups, exs, former friends, etc from sharing information that can trace to you or reveal your daily habits and secrets though, and they happen to have a public profile. But I suppose then it's pointless to argue about it as no matter what, you cannot hide everything you hold private or secret if there's a risk it'll be announced on the internet; and the only way to do so is to never mention it to anyone.

And that is why Facebook and social networking is so powerful as a source of information and potential control. I'm actually in awe and admire how brilliant it is.

[Pyraxis]

Very low for the extreme example but higher for anything less. But more subtle methods can be done without any physical harm, but with lots of emotional distress.

Yes you can choose what to hide or omit, but it doesn't stop other family members, friends, co-workers, community groups, exs, former friends, etc from sharing information that can trace to you or reveal your daily habits and secrets though, and they happen to have a public profile. But I suppose then it's pointless to argue about it as no matter what, you cannot hide everything you hold private or secret if there's a risk it'll be announced on the internet; and the only way to do so is to never mention it to anyone.

And that is why Facebook and social networking is so powerful as a source of information and potential control. I'm actually in awe and admire how brilliant it is.

You make good points. I have one but I barely use it, don't store much information there, and keep it separate from the rest of my online life.

[Callaway]

Sure, but what are the chances of someone actually doing that? (ie someone on your facebook using information you've posted to find out where you live and beat you up. that's pretty extreme)

People seem to be forgetting that you're not FORCED to post where you live or your phone number or wife etc etc etc

And you have control over who sees what

I find it very hard to talk to people in person, so facebook has helped me LOADS with my relationships with family members (as sad as that may sound). I'm not gonna give that up over some paranoid fear that an old schoolfriend is suddenly gonna decide to track me down and kill me

Very low for the extreme example but higher for anything less. But more subtle methods can be done without any physical harm, but with lots of emotional distress.

Yes you can choose what to hide or omit, but it doesn't stop other family members, friends, co-workers, community groups, exs, former friends, etc from sharing information that can trace to you or reveal your daily habits and secrets though, and they happen to have a public profile. But I suppose then it's pointless to argue about it as no matter what, you cannot hide everything you hold private or secret if there's a risk it'll be announced on the internet; and the only way to do so is to never mention it to anyone.

And that is why Facebook and social networking is so powerful as a source of information and potential control. I'm actually in awe and admire how brilliant it is.

I don't have a Facebook account or a cellphone either.

I know someone who lost her job over something she posted about her co-worker on Facebook and her profile was set to "friends only."

Apparently, someone she considered a "Facebook friend" showed her boss what she had written about the co-worker and she doesn't even know which "friend" it was.  She protested about the invasion of privacy, but it didn't do her any good.  What she said about the co-worker wasn't even that bad; I think it was something like, "You thought that you were screwing me, but you were really screwing yourself."

[ProfessorFarnsworth]

Sure, but what are the chances of someone actually doing that? (ie someone on your facebook using information you've posted to find out where you live and beat you up. that's pretty extreme)

People seem to be forgetting that you're not FORCED to post where you live or your phone number or wife etc etc etc

And you have control over who sees what

I find it very hard to talk to people in person, so facebook has helped me LOADS with my relationships with family members (as sad as that may sound). I'm not gonna give that up over some paranoid fear that an old schoolfriend is suddenly gonna decide to track me down and kill me

Very low for the extreme example but higher for anything less. But more subtle methods can be done without any physical harm, but with lots of emotional distress.

Yes you can choose what to hide or omit, but it doesn't stop other family members, friends, co-workers, community groups, exs, former friends, etc from sharing information that can trace to you or reveal your daily habits and secrets though, and they happen to have a public profile. But I suppose then it's pointless to argue about it as no matter what, you cannot hide everything you hold private or secret if there's a risk it'll be announced on the internet; and the only way to do so is to never mention it to anyone.

And that is why Facebook and social networking is so powerful as a source of information and potential control. I'm actually in awe and admire how brilliant it is.

I don't have a Facebook account or a cellphone either.

I know someone who lost her job over something she posted about her co-worker on Facebook and her profile was set to "friends only."

Apparently, someone she considered a "Facebook friend" showed her boss what she had written about the co-worker and she doesn't even know which "friend" it was.  She protested about the invasion of privacy, but it didn't do her any good.  What she said about the co-worker wasn't even that bad; I think it was something like, "You thought that you were screwing me, but you were really screwing yourself."

Which is exactly what I'm talking about, but imagine if corporations or government did this kind of 'exposing' by stealth in order to neutralise potential dissent, criticism or worse exposure before it can happen. People hold a lot of personal secrets or secrets of others, some which can destroy relationships and job prospects and that is more than enough to cripple someone from being a threat, all without revealing yourself. That's where the power of possessing such vast quantities of information from multiple sources comes from (so even if you don't reveal anything, your friend might purposely or accidentally). It has the capacity to literally change someone's life to whatever direction you want it to go, either secretly help them get in the right place or destroy everything they hold dear with a few words with the right people. Worse part about it is that, people will shrug off such a thing as a conspiracy theory because no-one would be willing to think they would be that cunning or resourceful enough.

But HBGary e-mails has already revealed plans by the U.S government to deploy persona management software which allows a few operators to control an entire army of realistic behaving sockpuppets (and avoid personality clashes) with ease. Now imagine applying an search algorithm that seeks out information on social networking sites for keywords and certain type of opinions you don't like, and use it to bombard undesirable targets within a realistic time frame. The goal would then be to discredit the targets by character assassination via acquired information or sway opinions against that thought and appear as if a lot of people disagree with you. Alternatively, it can be used for the opposite effect to promote a desirable person or opinion to further influence public opinion by deception.

It's fearsome propaganda technology when combined.

[Adam]

I have both facebook and a mobile phone

I could live without a mobile though really, and don't use it except if I need to call home when I'm at uni or something

Facebook is great for me though. I have both IRL people and online peple on there, including family