Facebook changes privacy policy to data use policy

[AreaCode707]

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archive...tm_campaign=Feed:+readwriteweb+(ReadWriteWeb)

This part gives me the creeps:

A change in section 2.3 of the policy essentially allows your friends to give apps permission to access your personal information. "Your friends' activities can implicate your personal information, which seems counter-intuitive," Downey said. "If I do not explicitly give an app permission to access my information, it should not have access to my information."

I think they're talking about this. I already have platform apps disabled, but I can't tell if that's enough to fully prevent my friends' apps from getting my info. What's your guess?

Just like when you share information by email or elsewhere on the web, information you share on Facebook can be re-shared. This means that if you share something on Facebook, anyone who can see it can share it with others, including the games, applications, and websites they use.
Your friends and the other people you share information with often want to share your information with applications to make their experiences on those application more personalized and social. For example, one of your friends might want to use a music application that allows them to see what their friends are listening to. To get the full benefit of that application, your friend would want to give the application her friend list - which includes your User ID - so the application knows which of her friends is also using it. Your friend might also want to share the music you "like" on Facebook. If you have made that information public, then the application can access it just like anyone else. But if you've shared your likes with just your friends, the application could ask your friend for permission to share them.
You can control most of the information other people can share with applications using your Apps and Websites settings. But these controls do not let you limit access to your public information and friend list.

If you want to completely block applications from getting your information, you will need to turn off all Platform applications. This means that you will no longer be able to use any games, applications or websites.

If an application asks permission from someone else to access your information, the application will be allowed to use that information only in connection with the person that gave the permission and no one else.

 

[Crono]

Facebook is built for people who don't care too much about privacy.

If you don't feel safe using it, don't.
I haven't signed up for an account (though all my friends are on it), and I feel better about not being on Facebook the more time passes. Now other people I know are considering deleting their accounts, and seeing all the meaningless/trashy stuff that ends up on Facebook, I really don't feel all that left out.

I would love to sign up for a secure social networking site, but all the ones that are more secure than FB, no one uses. So if another site does to Facebook what Facebook did to Myspace, I might consider signing up for a social networking site. Until then, I'm fine.

 

[13Gigatons]

STOP. USING. FACEBOOK.

any questions?

 

[lxskllr]

Facebook isn't to be trusted. Regardless of what their official policy is, "accidents" will continue to happen, and you can't be assured your settings are secure. If you want data security, handle it yourself. They make their money from your data. It's a conflict of interest.

 

[Beev]

I went through last night and turned every privacy setting to it's strictest setting. Even my own mother can't see anything other than my religious and political stances

 

[PokerGuy]

Facebook isn't to be trusted. Regardless of what their official policy is, "accidents" will continue to happen, and you can't be assured your settings are secure. If you want data security, handle it yourself. They make their money from your data. It's a conflict of interest.

This, absolutely this. Facebook is a machine worth billions based on the premise of using your information to make money. No matter what the policies are, you can rest assured that all your information will be "compromised" and available to others in some way. If you don't like that, don't use it.

 

[rudder]

Don't put your address or phone number on facebook. Don't post sensitive information. Upload only watermarked pictures.

 

[Jeff7]

Facebook needs to become Facebook, Inc. Then they'll be FBI.

</mind blown>

 

[kranky]

I have read a lot about how FB works and how they think. It's pretty obvious that FB sees their primary asset as data about users. That's what they have to sell, since users pay nothing. A constant, gradual chipping away of users' ability to keep data private is essential to their ability to make money. To make this work, it will become increasingly painful to keep data private - either by using preferences, or by restricting what you can do if you choose to keep things private.

Have there ever been any changes in FB privacy policy that did not make it more difficult to keep your data private, or outright made more of your data available?

There was an article in our local paper yesterday discussing how some employers use FB info to make hiring decisions. Some employers came right out and requested candidate's login info so they could look at the candidate's FB. Some asked the candidate to log in then let the employer look at the candidate's FB. Some requested the candidate "friend" them so they could look around. Some had other methods of gaining access. And there are some that don't care about a candidate's FB. But you can guess which way the trend is going, in an economy where employers can be picky.

 

[darkewaffle]

I think they're talking about this. I already have platform apps disabled, but I can't tell if that's enough to fully prevent my friends' apps from getting my info. What's your guess?

What info exactly would you put on facebook that you don't want people getting? Your favorite movies? Or do you just not want them to know that you like "Coconut Cream Pie"? Perhaps the fact that you're a member of "MINIATURE GOLF ADDIXXX"?

I agree that it's stupid for someone other than yourself to essentially be able to authorize access, but I think it's even stupider to put absolutely anything on Facebook that you would want to 'hide'.

 

[lozina]

So glad I never got into facebook

 

[lxskllr]

A constant, gradual chipping away of users' ability to keep data private is essential to their ability to make money. To make this work, it will become increasingly painful to keep data private - either by using preferences, or by restricting what you can do if you choose to keep things private.

Have there ever been any changes in FB privacy policy that did not make it more difficult to keep your data private, or outright made more of your data available?

http://mattmckeon.com/facebook-privacy/


Click^^^

 

[Aharami]

how do I create groups on fb? I want to create a group that I want to explicitly exclude when I share pics, etc

 

[FoBoT]

if you paid facebook directly for a service, then they might take your input more seriously. i don't think they are too worried about 'privacy' as it goes pretty much opposite of the concept of 'social networking'

 

[Jeffg010]

Call me when I care. I got nothing to hide.

 

[Deeko]

Don't really care.

 

[Aikouka]

how do I create groups on fb? I want to create a group that I want to explicitly exclude when I share pics, etc

You can add people to a list, but I don't know if you can exclude them from photos. I know you can add people to a list and then choose certain lists to post status updates to.

 

[ky54]

FB is a source for finding people I haven't seen in years. That's all I use it for. And I have never used any apps or played game or any of that nonsense. I have everything shut off.

 

[AreaCode707]

I have nothing on Facebook that couldn't be made totally public. My contact info isn't there, my real name isn't there, my employer isn't there, I've never posted a picture or thought that isn't totally sanitized. I don't "like" shit, I don't join groups, I don't use apps, I don't post through my phone. For all intents and purposes, I use Facebook in place of email, since half my contacts do not check email anymore.

I'm absolutely aware that personal data is FB's bread and butter and of course they want to maximize their capital from that.

What I'm trying to do is tell whether their stated changes will allow your friends to share your data if you have your platform apps turned off. That is a change in the system behavior if so, and it's not clear to me from the written policy how it will work. It's not an unreasonable question to ask.

 

[FoBoT]

It's not an unreasonable question to ask.

i hope my response didn't upset you. i think ATOT isn't the place to get a good answer to your question

you'd need an internet lawyer to interpret all that language probably in conjunction with some type of systems analyst that was familiar with all of Facebook API/programming stuff to give you a good answer

they don't write the policy with the intention of informing the users of 'realiity', they write the policy with the intention of winning in cases where they get sued

have a nice day

 

[lxskllr]

i hope my response didn't upset you. i think ATOT isn't the place to get a good answer to your question

you'd need an internet lawyer to interpret all that language probably in conjunction with some type of systems analyst that was familiar with all of Facebook API/programming stuff to give you a good answer

they don't write the policy with the intention of informing the users of 'realiity', they write the policy with the intention of winning in cases where they get sued

have a nice day

It doesn't matter what lawyers, or complex analysis say when an "accident" can blow the whole thing open. Facebook can't be trusted. If you want control of your data, you have to control it. "Cloud" services are the antithesis of user control. Facebook, Google, or anyone else doing your computation for you has full access to your data. Who needs spyware when you can get people to send you information voluntarily?

 

[Beev]

As I said before my profile is pretty bare, but what's the big deal if they have your data? Hell, in the end who cares if it gets sold? It will have zero impact on my life. Any of your friends could already take all of your data available to them and post it wherever they want.

 

[AreaCode707]

i hope my response didn't upset you. i think ATOT isn't the place to get a good answer to your question

you'd need an internet lawyer to interpret all that language probably in conjunction with some type of systems analyst that was familiar with all of Facebook API/programming stuff to give you a good answer

they don't write the policy with the intention of informing the users of 'realiity', they write the policy with the intention of winning in cases where they get sued

have a nice day

Nah, not upset. I'm on board with the facebook hate, honestly. I've opted to continue using it in its' current state, where I use the parameters above (choosing to limit what I share) to control my privacy in addition to using their features.

Lawyering up is probably overkill for the level of question I'm asking, and often there can be some clarity in a cloud-sourced answer. It's less about the legal validity of their stance than it is about the expected system behavior.


Most folks are missing the point. I'm not complaining about how much data is or isn't exposed, I'm curious about the basic system function in the use case where platform apps is disabled. So far nobody's made a guess at that.

 

[FoBoT]

Who needs spyware when you can get people to send you information voluntarily?

i agree. if you want to be really safe, go 'off the grid', i.e. no computers, no internet

myself, i take the opposite approach
my name and email address have been posted not only on FB, but on Anandtech and other forums for over ten years. i have posted the coordinates and maps to my house here on ATOT many times. i am 'hidinig' out in the open :twisted:

 

[lxskllr]

Most folks are missing the point. I'm not complaining about how much data is or isn't exposed, I'm curious about the basic system function in the use case where platform apps is disabled. So far nobody's made a guess at that.

Based on what they say, an application someone else uses has access to your data, but it can't give that to another party. IOW, If I fire up my awesome SpyMaster application, and get it to analyze your data(assuming we're "friends"), the results will only be available to me, and not everyone else on my "friend" list.