Does the New Facebook Places Feature Concern You?
A few weeks ago, I deleted my personal page on Facebook. I had a whole host of reasons (many described in the aforementioned link), but there were other issues that weighed on my mind as well (see this and that for quite a few ideas I agree with). So it was interesting to read this morning about Facebook's announcement regarding its new Places device.
On the ACLU's Technology Issues blog, they posted this:
Facebook Places: Check This Out Before You Check In
- In the world of Facebook Places, “no” is unfortunately not an option.
Places allows your friends to tag you when they check in somewhere, and Facebook makes it very easy to say “yes” to allowing your friends to check in for you. But when it comes to opting out of that feature, you are only given a “not now” option (aka ask me again later). “No” isn’t one of the easy options.
And if you use Places yourself, you aren’t even given a “not now;” you’re just told that friends are able to check-in for you and left to discover for yourself that you can change this setting by digging into your privacy controls.
- Facebook is rolling out “here now,” privacy later.
The “Here Now" feature of Places provides a list of people who have recently checked-in at a given Place. But while Facebook makes it easy to let people know your current location, you have limited ability to control who knows where you are.
• Problem 1: You don’t have full control over who can see you in the “Here Now” list. You can only choose to turn the feature on or off. If it’s on, any Places user who checks in at the same place can see you in the Here Now list.
• Problem 2: “Here Now” is turned on by default if you have previously selected that “Everyone” can see even a single piece of your information.
- Places data is on the move.
Facebook immediately opened up location data to applications and Connect sites. This means that your friends’ apps may be able to access information about your most recent check-in by default as soon as you start using Places. Even if you’ve already gone through your settings to limit the info that apps can access, you should do it again - you may find that you’ve been defaulted into sharing your location info with apps.
**For more information about Facebook Places and detailed instructions for how to manage your privacy settings and safeguard your location information, visit the resouces page here.
If you are on Facebook, what are you feelings regarding the new Facebook Places? Do you plan on using it or opting out?
Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 10:23AM
Reader Comments (9)
Screw that. Never had a Facebook, never will. It is amazing how people could be on a site that "shares" so much private information about you. You address, phone number, cell phone number, exact location at any given time, what you buy, what websites you visit.
As we were discussing earlier. If you visit a website about soccer, the next time you go on Facebook, you will mysteriously start getting ads on your page relating to soccer. How the hell does Facebook know that, the cookies that you agree to download every time you visit their site.
If you are on Facebook, you should know that your privacy is simply a commodity that is bought and sold by the team at Facebook.
Fuck Facebook. Open your eyes people. This is a bad 80's movie where a computer takes over the world, only it is starting to look a little more real as more and more people agree to allow complete access to their lives.
wow!, never thought that you would delete your facebook. Not in a bad way I mean. But I understand your reasons. I've also thought about doing the same. Personally I like myspace better. I don't get to see a couple of my firends a lot so we connect online. you did the right thing girl!, I support you!
honestly unsure. Now that I have a blog and twitter, I wonder how necessary my facebook presence is, outside the "like" page for my blog. I'm pretty disturbed by the idea of it being easy for OTHER people to say where I am located. I don't believe in online privacy but this feature seems very likely to truly endanger someone's personal safety. the other problem, though, is what other program is so good at keeping you in touch with so many people?
Jinxi, great post! I'm so glad we are done with that bullshit.
Steve, same to you! Fuck facecrook!
I think we may be the only 3 people without fakebook accounts. I even know dogs and cats who have farcebook accounts, haha. I posted a "fuck facebook" picture as my default right before I deleted my account and had people telling me macebook is the only way to connect with friends they haven't seen for a long time, almost like they were offended by the picture I put up. We still have phones and email, right? If I want to see 18 pictures of my cousin's new baby, I'll ask her to email them to me, or snail mail them. I feel like I talk to more people through text and email now than I did when I had facesmoosh.
I personally think everyone should get a tumblr.com account. You can post whatever you want, no ads, no privacy issues, and best of all I (hehe, notice I switched from "you" to "I") can rip on religion as much as I want and no one can spam me with 300 messages about gawd.
Fuck gawdbook!
@ Tiger
LOLOLOL
@ melina bee
What do you mean by, "I don't believe in online privacy"
but how else are we supposed to stalk people effectivly? j/k
Hmmmm, this is a tough one. On one hand I, too, don't care for facebook and its seemingly sneaky ways. But on the other hand, I have reconnected with so many people from my past that I don't know how I would have otherwise. I now limit my "friends" to people that are really friends, or family members. I have not yet gone through and removed people that are just there because we at one point knew each other vs. real friends - who I really do like seeing pictures of their vacations, family and friends.
Great discussion!
:)
Totally understand and support your decision, Jinxi ... thanks for sharing all that up. I'd always been a bit wary of FB and am growing even warier now reading up on the depth and scale of the privacy issues associated with it. Quite concerning, indeed.
Oceans of love to you...
Wen xoxoxo