You can “Zuck” it Facebook: Privacy Protest
- 28 Comment
Do you know where your privacy is on Facebook? If you’re like me, you know “in general” that privacy has lessened and more of your information is available (especially if you haven’t updated your privacy settings). But there’s more to it than that. Just like a college athlete on a full scholarship, Facebook owns you (uh, your information). Until I decided to dig deeper, I didn’t realize how much had changed in the privacy policies. While I never put anything online that I’m not comfortable with the entire world seeing, I want to share on my terms, my way.
What first made me question privacy was when friends’ pictures started showing up in ads–and they didn’t know about it. More recently though, this excerpt from a PC World article took it to a new level, “this week brought news of two separate bugs that let Websites secretly install their apps on your Facebook profile and let your friends eavesdrop on your private chats.”
That’s not all.
A quick comparison of Facebook privacy policies from inception to now (courtesy of Electronic Frontier Foundation) show just how much things have changed:
Facebook Privacy Policy circa 2005:
No personal information that you submit to Thefacebook will be available to any user of the Web Site who does not belong to at least one of the groups specified by you in your privacy settings.
Current Facebook Privacy Policy, as of April 2010:
When you connect with an application or website it will have access to General Information about you. The term General Information includes your and your friends’ names, profile pictures, gender, user IDs, connections, and any content shared using the Everyone privacy setting. … The default privacy setting for certain types of information you post on Facebook is set to “everyone.” … Because it takes two to connect, your privacy settings only control who can see the connection on your profile page. If you are uncomfortable with the connection being publicly available, you should consider removing (or not making) the connection.
On Sunday, June 6, a protest initiated by This Week in Twitter co-host Alana Joy, asks those who disagree with Facebook’s privacy policies to, “commit to not logging in or interacting with Facebook in any way.”
Joy isn’t alone in her dislike for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s thoughts on privacy. In a video message to Zuckerberg, Jason Calacanis, founder Mahalo.com, shares his concise thoughts:
It’s gone beyond general dislike. Last week 15 consumer watchdog groups filed a formal complaint with the FTC over the changes.
Now that I’m (more) aware and educated on what exactly “lessened privacy” means, I will be joining the movement. It doesn’t mean I’m giving up Facebook for good, but joining with others to help make a difference and keep privacy top of mind. At the very least, maybe an improvement in Facebook’s communication?
If you’d like to participate, join online at the FacebookProtest website and follow @FacebookProtest on Twitter. Ironically, you can also join FacebookProtest on Facebook.
Don’t know how to manage your privacy settings? Here’s a great post from Fast Company to help you determine what you want to share.
What’s your take on the privacy issue? Will you be participating? Have you deleted your Facebook account? Let us know.
28 Comments on this post
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Alana Joy said:
Sarah,
Thank you so much for writing such a great post and sharing it with your network! Your support and involvement is important, and greatly appreciated.
Best,
Alana JoyMay 12th, 2010 at 11:29 am -
Mike Stenger said:
Hey Sarah,
As much as I don’t particularly agree with the privacy changes, I won’t stop using Facebook any time soon. As someone who runs my own business, I don’t mind my information being available for all to see.
When Facebook brought about the changes (although unexpected and no notification ahead of time which was stupid IMO), I looked at it as a way to be more open and transparent with people.
Of course, I can DEFINITELY understand those who use Facebook for more private reasons having such an issue with these changes. It was definitely something that has caused many to question how much they can actually trust Facebook.
Maybe we should create our own, new social network that doesn’t have these problems?
May 12th, 2010 at 11:34 am -
Ryan Hines said:
Great post Sarah. I wasn’t aware of all the changes, and you really helped break down exactly what has happened.
I would also comment, though, that privacy in general has dramatically decreased in all aspects of life within the last few years. Especially with the digital age or Web 2.0 or whatever you want to call it, users are accepting privacy loss in exchange for convenience. We want GPS. We like knowing what are friends are doing. Well, that means there’s a database out there tracking all of this info.
May 12th, 2010 at 12:01 pm -
PRsarahevans said:
Thanks to all for your comments. Even more unsettling to me is how confusing the privacy settings and TOS language is (legal jargon). For me, it’s hard to decipher without someone breaking it down.
May 12th, 2010 at 12:10 pm -
KerrieBrynn said:
Hey Sarah,
Great post! I’m so glad you’re using your voice to say what a lot of us have been wanting to say; but afraid to say it. After reading this & research a bit more, I’ve decided to join the protest on June 6th – and I will definitely tell all my friends (on Facebook too!) about it.
The privacy issue hasn’t affected me yet (like it has your friends w/ their faces showing up on ads), but I definitely don’t like where this is headed.
The thing that is hard about this issue is that unless you’re in the industry or have extensive technical knowledge, it’s a hard thing to explain to “regular” people. This post definitely helps, but do you have any advice for summing it all up in one or two sentences so that you could explain it to anyone (even if they’re not on Facebook)?
Thanks Sarah!
-Kerrie
May 12th, 2010 at 12:15 pm -
direk izle said:
Hey Sarah! Thank you for your sensib?lity about Privacy on Facebook.
May 12th, 2010 at 1:06 pm -
Laptop Carrying Cases said:
Facebook using user photos in ads is totally unacceptable. Why would such a profitable company be so cheap about paying a photographer & model to come up with their own photos for ad usage? I have always been wary of the lack of privacy on facebook. It has been an issue from the start. It is one of the major reasons why I haven’t bothered wasting my time getting on facebook to stalk my friends.
May 12th, 2010 at 1:16 pm -
sell textbooks said:
Yea FaceBook made a bad move on this one. They deserve any backlash they get from this. I will still use FaceBook, because I like it. I will just be more wary about what I do on the site.
May 12th, 2010 at 1:33 pm -
Dawn-Ann said:
Sarah, thanks for this. I had already decided to delete my account (not an easy task to totally do so, apparently) and from what I’ve been reading lately that is a wise idea!
May 12th, 2010 at 2:50 pm -
Monica said:
Great post. Here’s a thought I read online: We’re not Facebook’s customers, but rather the PRODUCT it sells companies who want to advertise.
Given this, I can see why *our* concerns as users have now taken a back seat.
My only hope is that Facebook will wise up and realize that if they want to offer a good product — a huge audience for potential advertisers — the only way to do that is to keep us on Facebook by ensuring our privacy!
May 12th, 2010 at 3:08 pm -
syamant said:
the key lesson – situations where there are only a few companies in a given space should actively be addressed. alternatives have to be developed or found
In the immediate term, resistance is key. here is a thought
http://futurechat.in/faceborg-you-will-be-resisted/May 12th, 2010 at 4:48 pm -
used tires said:
Wow, I’m quite disappointed if Facebook is doing all this under our noses. Hopefully, all this backlash from the consumers makes them rethink their policies and hold back their greed for advertising dollar a little bit.
Till then,
Jean
May 13th, 2010 at 4:18 am -
used tires said:
And that is a brilliant video by Jason Calacanis. Hope Mark Zuckerberg watches that and learns something from it. He really makes a good point in that video. The userbase is what made Facebook what it is so if you lose their trust, you lose their patronage, and everything Facebook is as a result.
Till then,
Jean
May 13th, 2010 at 4:22 am -
Alyson Pitarre said:
Sarah, thank you for posting this video and alerting us to the protest. I am in! I do not like Facebook’s approach to privacy, and I am now beginning to wonder if this company is already on the road to self-destruction (a la MySpace) because of its policies. Who knows–maybe it will leave room for a MySpace 2.0 comeback or a brand new platform that respects our privacy?
May 13th, 2010 at 10:45 am -
Laptop Carrying Cases said:
While facebook has made numerous mistakes relating to user privacy, I don’t think it will have much impact. People have gotten so hooked on facebook that they upload all of their photos there and do the majority of their online communication there. Many users have simply invested too much time into building up their profile to be bothered to switch to a more private network.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:22 pm -
felam said:
Seriously…how can anyone think anything you put on the internet is still considered private?! It’s like putting all your s*$t on a billboard and then getting angry when people look at it. Please people, you want privacy keep your business off the internet.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:58 pm -
Komodo Dragon said:
Its possible if facebook isn’t careful over this that it could lead to a big disaster for facebook, so If I were facebook I would tread carefully over this and put the users of facebook in the first place. Luckily I don’t share too much informational at all on facebook so I am okay =D
May 13th, 2010 at 2:16 pm -
Penny Trow-Foreman said:
I think the thing most offensive to me is that I wouldn’t mind if the issue just involved me and my information. But it doesn’t. Facebook draws in my address book, compromising my friends’ information as well. I am happy to speak for myself, but don’t wish to pull my friends’ information into the mix.
May 13th, 2010 at 8:53 pm -
Hope said:
this is ridiculous. Also annoying as someone who promotes my business on FB via a group is that ALL of my contacts are open to the world, BUT I don’t have access to easily pull in names, email addresses of my fans/members. If someone opts into join the WCS group, they are obviously interested in WCS.
I would like to see an “opt-in” button where they can opt to get our personal email. Also annoying (for my members mostly) is that they get contacted through multiple different sources eg: my house list, fb event, fb group, fb fan page. It would be much more consumer friendly if I could de-dupe all the lists and only contact once. Kind of off topic, but now you got me started. :0)
May 15th, 2010 at 6:21 pm -
brother toner cartridges said:
I believe their is no privacy when you are using facebook. People can get and share you picture and information without any permission from you. I only upload 2 pictures and after a week a found out there are a lots of picture related me in the facebook. The pictures came out from other facebook members. Sarah.. honestly I don’t trust facebook at all
May 16th, 2010 at 12:30 pm -
Caffeine Fiend said:
I think we should all report Zuck for intellectual property infringement:
http://www.facebook.com/zuck#!/legal/copyright.php?noncopyright_notice=1&type=0&uid=4&cid=4&cid2=0&h=e0996a68d4Think about it.
Your intellectual property is you and generally speaking what you post. You agreed to a terms of service, sure, but they change it without notice and start sharing YOU with people and companies without your knowledge or approval.
May 17th, 2010 at 6:55 pm -
Ros Davis said:
Am very annoyed about facebooks new approach. & yes if they don’t change it soon (but not till after the protest) I will probably delete my account. I know Mr Zuckerburg has a right to a profit from his creation but he needs to keep in mind to keep selling & making money from a product he needs happy contented consumers regardless of what his personal beliefs might be!!!!
May 19th, 2010 at 8:02 am -
Catering Florida said:
Very informative post regarding privacy policy of Facebook. I will join that site and set up properly privacy policy. Thanks.
May 20th, 2010 at 3:59 am -
Umbro England said:
I heard that there is a quit facebook day page – you are supposed to delete your profile the 31st of May…….
May 20th, 2010 at 11:53 am -
Turkey said:
I think facebook is in violation of individual rights.
May 22nd, 2010 at 3:24 am
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