Commercial Surveillance, who is going to remain part of the problem?

William Muriithi william.muriithi-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org
Sat Feb 4 21:15:08 UTC 2012


Giles,
>>
>> I don't see how information stored on Facebook, Twitter, or other
>> social networks differs from having a public website or blog where you
>> control your data. I think if we truly want to educate users we need
>> to tell them that anything published on the Internet (even for example
>> if it's a protected Twitter account or a Google+ message sent only to
>> two other people) is public information and can be archive for an
>> indefinite period of time and used by anyone for anything.
>
>
>
> People who store data on their own servers might understand that there is a
> possibility of their data leaking out through holes in their security model.
>
> People who store data on (free) commercial services almost certainly don't,
> never mind understanding about those services' deliberate attempts to
> collect, correlate and commercialize their data.
>
> --Bob.
>
As other people have mentioned, you can't seriously compare the
privacy implication related to facebook and a couple of pictures
posted on a personal website.  You most likely try to phrase it that
way in order to feel better when using facebook.

There is a couple of things you can do to break that myth.  You may
know people who have pictures on their personal servers, go to the
search engine of your choice and try to search for picture, you will
notice it will be really hard or impossible to find anything other
than facebook stuff.  And even if you can find them, you will not have
a full picture of the victim life.

Thats not the same with facebook.  I have monkeyed a bit with my
sister's facebook account and after a couple of minutes, I can
reasonably guess her friends taste and lots of their other intimate
details despite having never meet them. That in my opinion is sad.

Try finding that information outside facebook and it will take you
employing personal detective and paying for it. You will NOT be able
to glean that information from personal server however much you try.

Anyway, found this online and though it was well thought out:

Facebook is not dangerous. There is no danger from posting all of the
intimate details of your life, with pictures, and pictures of other
people (often taken without their permission) using real names.

Look, I am not a paranoid man. I am perfectly willing to give out
private and personal information - for a reasonable fee.

I give out private information to my bank all the time. In exchange, I
get financial services.

Facebook offers - a) a blog, b) email, c) games, d) convenient log in

The first 3 are available for free elsewhere, the last is not worth much.

I'm not paranoid, I'm just not cheap. And Facebook is asking way way
too much for the minimal services it provides.

William

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