Facebook privacy concerns (again!!), Zynga games biggest culprit

[Ginaz]

According to this http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304772804575558484075236968.html?mod=googlenews_wsj theres been another discovery of privacy breachs on Facebook, this time because of some of the apps, with most of them being games.  Zynga games like Farmville, HoldEm Poker and FrontierVille are the biggest offenders and have also been transmitting personal information about a user's friends to outside companies.   Yet another reason not to be involved with Facebook or Zynga, both of which have proven themselves to be very shady companies.  

Note: I originally found this on Lum's blog. http://brokentoys.org/2010/10/18/4-0b-by-playing-farmville-you-consent-to-having-the-privacy-of-everyone-you-know-torn-to-shreds/

[ghost]

I've seriously considered getting rid of my Facebook account, but at the end of the day it is me that puts information out there on the internet.  If I don't want people to know about it, I don't put it on Facebook.  And I got rid of all but 2 apps a long time ago.  The big deal for me is that Facebook actually brings me a lot of enjoyment and allows me to be in very close contact with people I haven't seen in years, so I won't be getting rid of it. 

[Selby]

I've seriously considered getting rid of my Facebook account, but at the end of the day it is me that puts information out there on the internet.  If I don't want people to know about it, I don't put it on Facebook.

Exactly.  A friend at work was giving me shit about it and I said "What do they really know about me?  Places of employment I used to work and schools, an 11 year old profile picture, random thoughts and rantings, and some blurry cell phone pictures of stuff I find interesting.  I don't exactly foresee them stealing my identity from that."

[RhyssaFireheart]

Not to mention they can only get the data you actually put into your profile.

I have a game only FB account which is strictly for playing Farmville (and to send my personal account stuff) and for a while, there were a few "friends" on that account posting bit WARNINGWARNINGWARNING messages about FB publishing your phone numbers now.  I responded to a few of them by saying that it would only publish said phone number if you actually put it into your profile and honestly, there was no reason to enter a phone number in the first place.  WTF would you even need that information on your account?  People can be really stupid about what information they enter into profiles like that and then they'll be the first to rant and rave when something happens to it. 

[Merusk]

People put it there because Facebook'asked' for it by providing the field.  The internet is only 9-10 years old for most folks and the concept of controlling your personal data is only 3-4 years for that same segment.  I recall reading a Zukerberg interview where in the nascent days of Facebook he was amazed people would just hand over their SSNs and other personal info just because it was on the web.  (Or was that a synopsis from an early Facebook movie script.. I can't remember now.)

Anywho, yeah, people sharing their info on a site shouldn't be surprising, even if they should know better.

[Cheddar]

People put it there because Facebook'asked' for it by providing the field.  The internet is only 9-10 years old for most folks and the concept of controlling your personal data is only 3-4 years for that same segment.  I recall reading a Zukerberg interview where in the nascent days of Facebook he was amazed people would just hand over their SSNs and other personal info just because it was on the web.  (Or was that a synopsis from an early Facebook movie script.. I can't remember now.)

[ghost]

Still, Facebook is obviously up to no good when it comes to personal data.  They are constantly pushing the edges.  With my profession I really don't need some random people seeing what I post on facebook, even if it is benign. 

[NiX]

Still, Facebook is obviously up to no good when it comes to personal data.  They are constantly pushing the edges.  With my profession I really don't need some random people seeing what I post on facebook, even if it is benign. 

And that's the case right now. The issue here is that they're mining data about users that they've willingly submitted and sending it off to third party companies. What you put up on Facebook is still hidden based on what your security settings are.

Also, if what you post can't be seen under any circumstances, you probably shouldn't be posting it on the internet. Privacy settings or not.

[ghost]

I have a lot of issues with internet privacy, at the moment. This is a decent article on scrapers from the WSJ.  It definitely makes me think twice about things posted on facebook or any website.  I'm not so paranoid that I don't put up photos or whatever.  It only takes a change in facebook's privacy policy (which seems to change monthly) to make things more open than you want them. 

A good bit of advice is to get rid of most of the apps on facebook.  I think they are to blame for most problems right now. 

[CharlieMopps]

There are no privacy concerns on facebook. Facebook is not private. Why the fuck they don't just paste on their front page:
"All this shit is free because we're selling everything you post on here to anyone that'll give us money except maybe Russian mobsters (not that we're checking all that hard.)"

[lamaros]

Still, Facebook is obviously up to no good when it comes to personal data.  They are constantly pushing the edges.  With my profession I really don't need some random people seeing what I post on facebook, even if it is benign. 

One of my problems with Facebook was that you can't control what your 'friends' might post about you. So even if you are smart and careful it's still very annoying.

[Sky]

My fiancee logged into facebook a few weeks ago, my father had changed his profile pic. So she clicks on it.

It's a scan of his investment account statement.

 

One hasty phone call to dad later, had it taken care of. But... ...parents. How the hell does something like that even happen?

[ghost]

Holy fuck.  You know, I hope that our generation isn't that functionally retarded when it comes to technology when we get to be our parents' age. 

And Charlie, Facebook actually does claim to keep things private, or they wouldn't have the privacy settings available.  They would just put everything to public and be damned what people put on there.  They probably should have just gone that way in the first place (to make everything public) as it is what they want to do and it would keep people from getting all pitchforks and torches about it.  Unless they are shady and want to do a bait and switch..........

[NiX]

Holy fuck.  You know, I hope that our generation isn't that functionally retarded when it comes to technology when we get to be our parents' age. 

And Charlie, Facebook actually does claim to keep things private, or they wouldn't have the privacy settings available.  They would just put everything to public and be damned what people put on there.  They probably should have just gone that way in the first place (to make everything public) as it is what they want to do and it would keep people from getting all pitchforks and torches about it.  Unless they are shady and want to do a bait and switch..........

I see the privacy settings as a Facebook only thing. To be honest, I think people are putting way too much faith in corporations in keeping your information private, whether it's mandated or not. Especially when it comes to a site thats sole purpose is to share information. My philosophy is that I only put up as much information as I'm willing to accept anyone knowing.

[Lantyssa]

Facebook would have taken some hit in popularity if it had no privacy filters.  That it's more for profile viewing than whatever they sell behind the scenes is irrelevant.