FakeBook Sign Off

[Red Badger]

Today was the day.

I only used FB to keep up with extended family and some colleagues from days gone bye. I would post on special occasions and some travel stuff, but fairly infrequently.

When FakeBook was caught suppressing some content while promoting others, I went from a regular user to one that viewed only (perhaps 2X month) and perhaps liked on rare occasion. I don't care for a thumb on either side of any scale...

After Zuckerberg decided to pimp me and ~100 million others for his already healthy bottom line, I decided I'm not a whore (after all, I am retired).

I put him on the same moral ground as Grucifer. He's just more handsome and a lot richer. Whether you just f#ck people over, or have and army of lawyers and engage in plausible deniability to f#ck people over, it matters not.

For me, it's a "had enuff" moment. Like others, I was caught up in the OMB, Equifax, Target, and other assaults. Also, have had three credible intrusions where I had to close some banks accounts, etc

Just sign me, "An Army of One."

 

[frayne]

Wow, guess I didn't take it all that personal as any site that has your info can monetize it some way shape or form.

 

[Gumby]

Wow, guess I didn't take it all that personal as any site that has your info can monetize it some way shape or form.

Me neither. It's a good time to remind ourselves of the old adage "If you aren't paying for the product, then you probably are the product."

 

[Dtail]

Never used Facebook and DGF just gave it up.
More regs probably to come.

 

[MichaelB]

My family and friends are around the world so FB is handy and I will continue using it to stay in touch. Messaging and phone apps are not available everywhere, FB has better coverage in some countries.

I'm very careful with privacy settings and info shared. FB provides users with a detail of all the data collected and tracked, I downloaded mine, found minimal exposure but one thing to change.

Lots of sites track, aggregate, use and sell data about us. Yahoo just updated it's privacy policy. It's an easy read, just a few pages long, although I'm not clear why they put so much effort in it. They could have just said " you've got no privacy and we'll make money off you every way possible".

 

[ERD50]

I've never had a FaceBook account, but for other reasons (I don't want to get sucked into partisan discussions with people who aren't interested in listening/debate/exchange, only 'shouting', and I've seen plenty of that on DW's FaceBook account).

But I really don't give a hoot about what they do with my information . I don't get why people are upset by this. Why should I care if their robotic algorithms serve up an ad based on some comment I made? Why should I care if they use my info to learn about their customer base (that only seems useful in the aggregate, I don't think anyone cares to pay to learn what I specifically think about anything)?

I honestly don't know the specifics of the recent FaceBook flare up. I tried to research it, but I mostly got a bunch of excited "they sold my info! OMG!" stuff. So? What actually happened that is so bad?

 

[aja8888]

I honestly don't know the specifics of the recent FaceBook flare up. I tried to research it, but I mostly got a bunch of excited "they sold my info! OMG!" stuff. So? What actually happened that is so bad?

Agree and trying to sell my "info" won't get them a whole lot as there is nothing of value to sell that's not already out there.

 

[Gumby]

Why should I care if their robotic algorithms serve up an ad based on some comment I made?

As I told someone recently who was complaining about this very thing, I've been ignoring advertising my whole life -- Print, radio, TV, and now internet. How hard is it to do that?

 

[Alan]

As I told someone recently who was complaining about this very thing, I've been ignoring advertising my whole life -- Print, radio, TV, and now internet. How hard is it to do that?

+1

I have a lot more data useful to companies on the likes of Amazon than on FB (I don’t even keep my correct birthday on FB). The only thing that I’m surprised about is when I buy something then start getting ads appearing everywhere for that exact same product. If I’ve bought a wheelbarrow then why keep trying to sell me another wheelbarrow. Assuming it is a decent wheelbarrow then I won’t be buying another one for 10 years at least.

 

[marko]

Agree and trying to sell my "info" won't get them a whole lot as there is nothing of value to sell that's not already out there.

But I would worry that a bit of info on you here, there and elsewhere could add up to some algorithm figuring out enough about you to put together an "identity" that would be worth selling.

I'm not worried about getting ads for stuff I look up online. Heck, I get them on this site!

I worry about the mess created when some sort of bot learns enough about me (from 5-10 different sources) to become me and someone starts creating mayhem with my name/credit.

 

[braumeister]

I have never put my real birthdate online, with a few exceptions at trusted institutions. I always make up some random date. Same for most other personal data. Since I use 1Password to hold all my password information, it's trivial to create entries with the appropriate fake information for all websites. That way I don't have to remember which lies I told to whom.

 

[Midpack]

Me neither. It's a good time to remind ourselves of the old adage "If you aren't paying for the product, then you probably are the product."

+1. Mostly the personal info they all monetize isn’t harmful, it’s even beneficial to users. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, there are cases where many people have been harmed financially or personally. It’s not a big deal when then monetize aggregate personal data, but they have to have individual data to do that, and it’s s very short step to monetize your even more valuable individual data. “They” all say they won’t, but I believe some have/are or will with Google leading the way.

This site monetizes data***, it is “free” after all. http://www.socialknowledge.com/privacy/

 

[athena53]

I honestly don't know the specifics of the recent FaceBook flare up. I tried to research it, but I mostly got a bunch of excited "they sold my info! OMG!" stuff. So? What actually happened that is so bad?

One friend shut her account down because she was angry that Zuckerberg straight-out lied about how the data was used, then came clean a few days later.

MichaelB mentioned privacy policies- the few I've read are useless. "We may share your personally non-identifiable information with selected partners in order to provide you with an optimal experience...." That tells me very little except that, as he said, "You've got no privacy and we'll make money off you every way possible".

 

[easysurfer]

Data mining is the sign of the times. Can't say I'm happy, but a fact of lift. We can't peacefully buy anything without being asked to fill out a survey on how things went.

I still use FB ask Zuck and company got me. The alternative is to live like a hermit and out of the information loop with some friends and family.

Zuck got me the same way Microsoft (MS) got me in that I can't break away from MS totally. What part of personal computer is "personal" anymore when to OS acts like a commercial?

With MS, my plan is in the future, only use when really have to. As for FB, I'm guarded as to what I post. But tempted to purposely post something fake once a month to throw them off my scent .

 

[COcheesehead]

Even this forum, when not signed in, displays your post with an ad in it. So when are you leaving us here?

 

[Bestwifeever]

DH has a robust FB account with lots of old friends and former really interesting coworkers, who for the most part avoid politics, and every time he shows me something a friend has posted I get sucked into looking at what people post. I come up for air an hour later and think, this is why I can't have FB, I would be on it all day. I do see lots of ads for cool sox so unless FB starts substituting an "e" for "o" in DH's search history, I think he can handle the ads

 

[kcowan]

when I buy something then start getting ads appearing everywhere for that exact same product. If I’ve bought a wheelbarrow then why keep trying to sell me another wheelbarrow. Assuming it is a decent wheelbarrow then I won’t be buying another one for 10 years at least.

Maybe they are hoping to sell you an upgrade? I agree that it seems like a waste of time and money.

We visited Annecy in France for the first time last year. Now we get specials on Annecy. Thanks I might use them in 10 years or so. But by then they will have moved on.

 

[Human]

We need more like you Red Bager. The general apathy regarding privacy saddens me.

 

[mountainsoft]

My wife loves to use Facebook to keep up with family and friends. It's probably the one thing she uses most on the computer. My daughter is also a big Facebook user.

I personally wouldn't have a Facebook account if I didn't need it to access Facebook pages for businesses or events I'm interested in. I very rarely post anything on Facebook, and I really don't care what drama is going on with my friends and family. The vast majority of posts are mindless drivel with no real substance. What a waste of time.

I use an ad blocker with my web browser so I never see ads on Facebook. Or at least I don't pay any attention to them if I do see them. I don't worry much about the privacy issues. There's nothing on Facebook that couldn't be found from numerous public sources with a few quick web searches. Besides, even if I didn't have a Facebook account my friends and family post details, photos, etc. about me anyway. So I have a Facebook presence regardless of what I do.

 

[redduck]

...I’m surprised about is when I buy something then start getting ads appearing everywhere for that exact same product. If I’ve bought a wheelbarrow then why keep trying to sell me another wheelbarrow. .

You can make this work in your favor. Every morning (and several times during the day) I go to my bookmarked Victoria's Secret website, often spending a bit of time (two-three hours) clicking around their website. I find it's time well spent because that, in turn, brings in a flurry of ads that I appreciate (a whole lot). I even receive these ads on this very ER website. Makes for enriched retirement. Then, I guess there's some of us who enjoy looking at wheelbarrows--but, just don't like to admit it.
As often is the case, YMMV.

 

[NYEXPAT]

Ever since FB, I have had (old women now) that I slept with in high school or college trying to reconnect. I am in contact with one now (college sweetheart) who first contacted me(after 30 years) 15 years ago (a few months before I moved to Peru and got married the second time). Then about a year later to see if I was still married. 13 or 14 years pass by with not a word and now she is messaging me once or twice a week. Whoever said "you should always leave them wanting more" is becoming the bane of my existence!

 

[grasshopper]

My 92 yo soon to be 93 mom asked to friend me on FB. She has the full monty with her maiden, middle my dads last name my 2nd dads last name "so folks can find her". So when ever we travel I have to remind her not to say anything on FB. I have no or incorrect info on my page with the continual nag but, every b-day mom has to remind the world of my full name and true birthday date. But hey it is mom whatta ya gonna do.

 

[Sanstar]

But I would worry that a bit of info on you here, there and elsewhere could add up to some algorithm figuring out enough about you to put together an "identity" that would be worth selling.

I'm not worried about getting ads for stuff I look up online. Heck, I get them on this site!

I worry about the mess created when some sort of bot learns enough about me (from 5-10 different sources) to become me and someone starts creating mayhem with my name/credit.

I agree, Marko. Have discontinued FB and had a recent experience when goofing off on an astrology site. They wanted my DOB, city and state (to be sure I had the right sign); and email address. That info would make it easy to figure out my address, phone number and eventually make identity theft a bit easier. So, I’ll limit my social media interactions to this site since family and friends know how to call or email me.

“Just because you’re paranoid....”

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

You can make this work in your favor. Every morning (and several times during the day) I go to my bookmarked Victoria's Secret website, often spending a bit of time (two-three hours) clicking around their website. I find it's time well spent because that, in turn, brings in a flurry of ads that I appreciate (a whole lot). I even receive these ads on this very ER website. Makes for enriched retirement. Then, I guess there's some of us who enjoy looking at wheelbarrows--but, just don't like to admit it.
As often is the case, YMMV.

Is that why I keep seeing "articles" about younger women wanting to date older men?

 

[Totoro]

I honestly don't know the specifics of the recent FaceBook flare up. I tried to research it, but I mostly got a bunch of excited "they sold my info! OMG!" stuff. So? What actually happened that is so bad?

I'll try, it's a complicated issue.

One of the things that happened was that a company (Cambridge Analytica) used Facebook information to influence opinions on political matters, without disclosing that to the users. They used a survey and their FB access to get the necessary intel. The survey was a backchannel: most people whose info get used didn't take the survey, but were connected to a user that was.

On a higher level most people are only now waking up to the fact that FB and others know a lot about you, and there's almost no control on how that information gets used. It's a general feeling of dis-ease. Western cultures value their privacy.

Which leads to another level, why care about privacy at all? Most people have trouble explaining this, but my answer relates to the Stasi period: control and liberty.

If talking about homosexuality carries a death penalty and all communications are monitored, how would you change the law? If translation of the bible is illegal, how would you change the rules? How do you organize against apartheid? How do you go save people from persecution? What avenues are there to dispose a dictator?

On a personal note: I don't use FB because I believe it adds negative value to my life (and society), and thank the stars I'm living in the EU which understands some of the lessons we've learned from the past.