Facebook Privacy Problems

[koan]

What do you think they care about; making money or providing you with a valuable service? I don't believe for a second that facebook was designed to make the world a better place where we can all communicate more openly. I believe it was developed as the type of site that will make the owner rich. Twice in a short life, the site has had problems with privacy issues now. Do you really think they will learn from it? I'm pretty sure that they will keep coming up with ways to capitalize on the membership. I joined, so I'm there, but I don't use it for anything beyond messaging back to people who manage to find me.

Just a reminder that the site is about making money and what info you choose to give them access to is your own choice... Make it informed.

Privacy advocates declared victory yesterday after Facebook, the social networking website, moved to placate users concerned about the intrusiveness of its new Beacon advertising system.

Changes to Beacon, announced late on Thursday, will allow users to "opt-in" to sharing information through the service, which broadcasts purchases made on outside websites to Facebook users' friends.

This is the second time in a little more than a year that Facebook has been forced to change a new technology after a backlash over privacy.

source

[AussiePam]

My problem with Facebook is that it requires such total commitment. To get much out of it, you need to give pretty much everything. Way too much information. This is voluntary I know, but a socially engineered trap, IMO. On the other side, my daughter loves it - she's rediscovered school friends, even grade school friends, she'd lost track of - spread out all over the world.

[koan]

I've had some interesting contacts made through it as well but I don't tell it anything about me. Just my name, where I live and what school I went to.

[G-man]

It's definitely designed to be a money maker. I personally wouldn't give away too much info where you aren't anonymous.

[AussiePam]

Are any online forums NOT there to make money for someone, or at least break even. I have no idea how this one works, or Facebook, but why would anyone take on the aggro etc etc of running a big forum unless there was some financial gain in it.