Deleting my facebook and going to Google+. Heres why must read if you care about Privacy!

[TeeJay]

Understood T..and thank you for sharing something like this...Im 100% you are not alone.

At the end of the day It works for some..and It dosent work for others...for a varity of reasons...Privacy being the main issue i suspect.

Although I dont care to be on FB..I can understnd why others choose to Interact there. I think Im the only person I know that dosent have a account on FB. Besides some of the folks here.

Mike

I never really felt the need to share that before, as I never considered it relevant to a topic at hand, but in this case, or rather the comment I responded to, I felt it to be more directly relevant There have been times when I was feeling really down, and had it not been for the connection fb affords me to my friends and family, that downward spiral would not have been ended so easily, as had I simply been sitting at home, I would have dwelled and stewed and wound myself up, when all it took was a few words from some friends to snap me out of it I think privacy is a legitimate concern, in so much as, yes, there is much less than there was, but, I balance that with the rationalle that I have never had privacy anyway. I understand that everything I and everyone else writes online and every phonecall made is monitored by Big Brother, so from that perspective, it's not worth worrying about I think you're right that it depends on the nature of the interactions required. I recently attended a seminar on how social networking can be used in business, and one of the things stated, was that fb had significantly more page hits than google results. I think the context of those hits must be considered, but I think that as a networking tool (even if not outright 'sales' ) I think fb is great, although I admit, it does annoy me to see people trying promoting their businesses and wares on fb... Sure, network, discuss, let me know what your product is, but don't spam up my wall trying to get me to buy something... If I want to buy, I will come to you, not the other way round On the flipside, I've never been a fan of Twitter, but I couldn't really put my finger on why I think it may be that the 'followers' don't necessarily follow each other, where on fb, while obviously not everyone is friends with everyone, there are considerable groups of mutual friends, so it is more of a true community connection

[blue_sphere]

While facebook can be a privacy concern, it does not have to be since you control the info you place there, either when registering or posting.

Freddy, this is what I my article was about. THAT IS NOT THE CURRENT CASE. Currently facebook leaves the cookie system on and logs EVERY WEBSITE that you go to. It logs what you type, etc as long as you are signed into your account.

Buyer beware!

[TeeJay]

Freddy, this is what I my article was about. THAT IS NOT THE CURRENT CASE. Currently facebook leaves the cookie system on and logs EVERY WEBSITE that you go to. It logs what you type, etc as long as you are signed into your account.

Buyer beware!

I may be wrong, but I believe that google mail does the same thing, to tailor the ads seen As above, while I am a very private person, I also balance that with the assumption of constant surveilance anyway. I may not like the idea of no privacy, but I can tolerate 'faceless monitoring' much better than the idea say, of someone clearing up my stuff while in a hotel And equally, I figure that getting myself worked up about a lack of networking privacy won't actually change the situation, so I save myself the stress by not letting it bother me

[freddy333]

Currently facebook leaves the cookie system on and logs EVERY WEBSITE that you go to. It logs what you type, etc as long as you are signed into your account.

Are you sure about that?

[Ronin]

Are you sure about that?

Yes, more or less, unless you conscientiously logout every time and in some cases restart your browser, or don't visit sites with FB add-ons.

There is a Firefox addon called Ghostery that I run that tells you/shows you all the calls back to FaceBook on nearly EVERY site you visit these day. Ghostery can be set to block all these calls.

Another tip/trick for privacy freaks like myself is to:

1.) Set up a VM (Virtual Machine) ONLY for use with FB / Social Media

2.) Set up another (limited) user account on your machine (Mac/Win/Lin) and only use THAT account for FB / Social Media.

I like the "burner VM" mentality because it is a total fsck you to FB since they can not data mine your other internet habits. It is simply single use for their piece of $hit site. (Can you tell I hate FB )

[TeeJay]

Yes, more or less, unless you conscientiously logout every time and in some cases restart your browser, or don't visit sites with FB add-ons.

There is a Firefox addon called Ghostery that I run that tells you/shows you all the calls back to FaceBook on nearly EVERY site you visit these day. Ghostery can be set to block all these calls.

Another tip/trick for privacy freaks like myself is to:

1.) Set up a VM (Virtual Machine) ONLY for use with FB / Social Media

2.) Set up another (limited) user account on your machine (Mac/Win/Lin) and only use THAT account for FB / Social Media.

I like the "burner VM" mentality because it is a total fsck you to FB since they can not data mine your other internet habits. It is simply single use for their piece of $hit site. (Can you tell I hate FB )

I like the sound of that

[cib0rgman]

Are you sure about that?

That can not be true, they need to have an APi that links their site with your FB account but not of the information that is private specially password is recorded anyhow, plus most of the secure site are using SSL and that in itself is encrypted information that can not be decrypted.

[Ronin]

That can not be true, they need to have an APi that links their site with your FB account but not of the information that is private specially password is recorded anyhow, plus most of the secure site are using SSL and that in itself is encrypted information that can not be decrypted.

Right. They are not keylogging. They are pulling data from sites that have FB scripts running on them (most sites these days), and creative mining of referer headers and use of iFrames. Google does essentially the same thing with Google Analytics. And since most people are lazy and stay logged in [ x ] Remember Me, they have the correlation they need.

It also works in reverse. People who write to the FB API, get FULL ACCESS to your information, regardless of privacy settings. Example. Lets say you talk about bands on your FB page. You then go to listen to music at Pandora. Pandora can then mine your FB page for the bands you were talking about (because you are probably still logged in / cookies /etc). To some this is a convenience since Pandora now knows about you and you may need to have less interaction. To others this is a violation of privacy as a 3rd party web site just mined you (even though you agreed to it in the TOS that you probably did not read).

Seriously, install Ghostery on Firefox or Chrome and just watch all FB calls.

For those so inclined:

How To Quit Facebook (even thought you Technically CAN NOT)

[maxman]

Im sorry but that FB is just pure evil as far as Im concerned.

Im so glad that I wasnt active there..I shared no personal Infomation to speak of..and had only one pic posted

I believe I heard that they can keep all your [censored] for seven years after you have your account deleted...all you have to do to reactivate your account is log back in with your old pass word.

So In my mind...the accout is never really deleted or deactivated...not fully anyway.

[censored] THAT

Mike

[mastrmindalliance]

Throw away your cell phone while you're at it: http://www.thedailyb...abs-on-you.html

Like the article says:

These stories about techno-snooping always make for great scandal copy, because everyone loves to freak out about privacy. But the real takeaway of this latest kerfuffle should be this: like it or not, these invasions are never going to stop, so we might as well get used to it.

...

The truth is, everything you do on the Internet can be tracked, and if it can be tracked, it will be tracked

Even here it happens. I wont post who it is but if you google a certain gen model watch/model, it comes up with the RWG user's profile pic on google images - which happens to be a real pic of him, because he's posted a lot about the rep.

Here on RWG, remember when the upgrades happened and your account was downgraded for a while meaning you'd see the advertising at top? Well at the time i was doing research on engagement rings/diamonds. What should show at the top of page here in advertsising? You guessed it - diamond rings for sale. Same thing isn't it?

And for those in America, what about the Patriot Act? I don't understand the concern about posting a bunch of silly rubbish on social networking when your finanical records, amongst many many other more serious things, are practically on display to a bunch official departments who aren't concerned about your privacy interests.

[Ronin]

True, there is a lot of information out there on people. You can however contact your cell phone provider and request CPNI is NOT utilized on your account. There is also a difference between active and passive data gathering and searching. You could always go to city hall or search public records for real estate transacions-- but most people don't/didn't. Fast forward, and pretty soon you can walk into a room with a SmartPhone, take a photo of someone and find out everything from Date of Birth, to how much they paid for their house-- and thanks to FaceBook-- their favorite [ insert whatever ], sexual orientation, marital status. When the invasion becomes that simple, it scares the $hit out of me personally.

People who think: "...these invasions are never going to stop, so we might as well get used to it." or "I am not doing anything wrong, and have nothing to hide" are the ignorant people contributing to the erosion of privacy and security. Innovation is great, but at what expense? What if during the Civil Rights Movement Rosa Parks said: "African Americans will always have to sit in the back of the bus, so we might as well get used to it" !!!!

I think the point some of us are trying to make is, FB is as much about "Social Engineering" as it is "Social Networking". Scroll back up and watch "The Onion's" humorous take on FaceBook and the CIA. Privacy is and should be the next battle ground.

[Stephane]

Here is how it happens. Facebook originally came out of the top schools in the U.S. and spreads there (Harvard - Yale, Stanford, etc.) and then it spread to the UK and EU. At each school facebook becomes an inherent part of college student life. College students become grad students and grad students become professors. And along the way all high school students want to be college students....and underage students want to be high school students - a vicious circle isn't it.

Same behaviour here from my 13 and 16 years old kids.

Everything is happening through FB, including teachers are sharing stuff with their students.

I'm 100% in agreement with you W.

It's THE only way they communicate our kids.

Thus, they will become, as any actual teen, adults with a FB culture.

[whoever]

Thus, they will become, as any actual teen, adults with a FB culture.

they are already.....teens grow fast!!

turn off your computers, let your tablets and stuff at home and call your friends, and go for a beer. And if you are far away, send postcards, real ones, you can find pretty fancy ones out there.

And if you don't see people for a while, it's ok too. Once you meet again, you won't tell each other: i know everything about what you did, what you bought, about when or where you took a leak or went for a p...p, who you don't like, who you like, whatever the [censored] facebook predicts you to do in a couple of months or years because they know EVERYTHING....

so you'll sit down, with a beer, or sth else, talk about some stuff, be happy to learn something new or not and see everything is fine, or not, however, you interact.....for real.

PS, isn't google+ the same thing?

Edited December 4, 2011 by whoever

[TeeJay]

True, there is a lot of information out there on people. You can however contact your cell phone provider and request CPNI is NOT utilized on your account. There is also a difference between active and passive data gathering and searching. You could always go to city hall or search public records for real estate transacions-- but most people don't/didn't. Fast forward, and pretty soon you can walk into a room with a SmartPhone, take a photo of someone and find out everything from Date of Birth, to how much they paid for their house-- and thanks to FaceBook-- their favorite [ insert whatever ], sexual orientation, marital status. When the invasion becomes that simple, it scares the $hit out of me personally.

People who think: "...these invasions are never going to stop, so we might as well get used to it." or "I am not doing anything wrong, and have nothing to hide" are the ignorant people contributing to the erosion of privacy and security. Innovation is great, but at what expense? What if during the Civil Rights Movement Rosa Parks said: "African Americans will always have to sit in the back of the bus, so we might as well get used to it" !!!!

I think the point some of us are trying to make is, FB is as much about "Social Engineering" as it is "Social Networking". Scroll back up and watch "The Onion's" humorous take on FaceBook and the CIA. Privacy is and should be the next battle ground.

Ironic that the only way to do something about it and go against the Powers That Be and the Patriot Act would likely earn someone a oneway trip to Cuba

[jubog]

I think Facebook is totally manageable. Max out the privacy settings, that way you can approve everything and anything you are tagged in. As far as the cookie goes, I use Google Chrome which has an awesome extension called Facebook Disconnect, it blocks Facebook from tracking webpages you go to. I like the idea of a VM, I use one for work all the time. For those of you interested, VirtualBox is free. Bottom line, none of the social networks out there are really "safe", just be careful about you put out on the net.

[Ronin]

@jubog well said. Unfortunatly, intelligent users like yourself are rare. Tell Grandma to stop using IE and switch to Chrome she will probably look at you funny. LOL

On another note:

Shunning Facebook, and Living to Tell About It

By JENNA WORTHAM | New York Times

Tyson Balcomb quit Facebook after a chance encounter on an elevator. He found himself standing next to a woman he had never met — yet through Facebook he knew what her older brother looked like, that she was from a tiny island off the coast of Washington and that she had recently visited the Space Needle in Seattle.

“I knew all these things about her, but I’d never even talked to her,” said Mr. Balcomb, a pre-med student in Oregon who had some real-life friends in common with the woman. “At that point I thought, maybe this is a little unhealthy.”

As Facebook prepares for a much-anticipated public offering, the company is eager to show off its momentum by building on its huge membership: more than 800 million active users around the world, Facebook says, and roughly 200 million in the United States, or two-thirds of the population.

But the company is running into a roadblock in this country. Some people, even on the younger end of the age spectrum, just refuse to participate, including people who have given it a try.

One of Facebook’s main selling points is that it builds closer ties among friends and colleagues. But some who steer clear of the site say it can have the opposite effect of making them feel more, not less, alienated.

“I wasn’t calling my friends anymore,” said Ashleigh Elser, 24, who is in graduate school in Charlottesville, Va. “I was just seeing their pictures and updates and felt like that was really connecting to them.”

To be sure, the Facebook-free life has its disadvantages in an era when people announce all kinds of major life milestones on the Web. Ms. Elser has missed engagements and pictures of new-born babies. But none of that hurt as much as the gap she said her Facebook account had created between her and her closest friends. So she shut it down.

Many of the holdouts mention concerns about privacy. Those who study social networking say this issue boils down to trust. Amanda Lenhart, who directs research on teenagers, children and families at the Pew Internet and American Life Project, said that people who use Facebook tend to have “a general sense of trust in others and trust in institutions.” She added: “Some people make the decision not to use it because they are afraid of what might happen.”

Ms. Lenhart noted that about 16 percent of Americans don’t have cellphones. “There will always be holdouts,” she said.

Facebook executives say they don’t expect everyone in the country to sign up. Instead they are working on ways to keep current users on the site longer, which gives the company more chances to show them ads. And the company’s biggest growth is now in places like Asia and Latin America, where there might actually be people who have not yet heard of Facebook.

“Our goal is to offer people a meaningful, fun and free way to connect with their friends, and we hope that’s appealing to a broad audience,” said Jonathan Thaw, a Facebook spokesman.

But the figures on growth in this country are stark. The number of Americans who visited Facebook grew 10 percent in the year that ended in October — down from 56 percent growth over the previous year, according to comScore, which tracks Internet traffic.

Ray Valdes, an analyst at Gartner, said this slowdown was not a make-or-break issue ahead of the company’s public offering, which could come in the spring. What does matter, he said, is Facebook’s ability to keep its millions of current users entertained and coming back.

“They’re likely more worried about the novelty factor wearing off,” Mr. Valdes said. “That’s a continual problem that they’re solving, and there are no permanent solutions.”

Erika Gable, 29, who lives in Brooklyn and does public relations for restaurants, never understood the appeal of Facebook in the first place. She says the daily chatter that flows through the site — updates about bad hair days and pictures from dinner — is virtual clutter she doesn’t need in her life.

“If I want to see my fifth cousin’s second baby, I’ll call them,” she said with a laugh.

Ms. Gable is not a Luddite. She has an iPhone and sometimes uses Twitter. But when it comes to creating a profile on the world’s biggest social network, her tolerance reaches its limits.

“I remember having MySpace for a bit and always feeling so weird about seeing other people’s stuff all the time,” she said. “I’m not into it.”

Will Brennan, a 26-year-old Brooklyn resident, said he had “heard too many horror stories” about the privacy pitfalls of Facebook. But he said friends are not always sympathetic to his anti-social-media stance.

“I get asked to sign up at least twice a month,” said Mr. Brennan. “I get harangued for ruining their plans by not being on Facebook.”

And whether there is haranguing involved or not, the rebels say their no-Facebook status tends to be a hot topic of conversation — much as a decision not to own a television might have been in an earlier media era.

“People always raise an eyebrow,” said Chris Munns, 29, who works as a systems administrator in New York. “But my life has gone on just fine without it. I’m not a shut-in. I have friends and quite an enjoyable life in Manhattan, so I can’t say it makes me feel like I’m missing out on life at all.”

But the peer pressure is only going to increase. Susan Etlinger, an analyst at the Altimeter Group, said society was adopting new behaviors and expectations in response to the near-ubiquity of Facebook and other social networks.

“People may start to ask the question that, if you aren’t on social channels, why not? Are you hiding something?” she said. “The norms are shifting.”

This kind of thinking cuts both ways for the Facebook holdouts. Mr. Munns said his dating life had benefited from his lack of an online dossier: “They haven’t had a chance to dig up your entire life on Facebook before you meet.”

But Ms. Gable said such background checks were the one thing she needed Facebook for.

“If I have a crush on a guy, I’ll make my friends look him up for me,” Ms. Gable said. “But that’s as far as it goes.”

Correction: December 13, 2011, Tuesday

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the percentage of Americans who do not have cellphones, as estimated by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. It is 16 percent, not 5 percent. Also, a caption incorrectly spelled Erika Gable’s name as Ericka.

[jubog]

What a stupid reason to quit Facebook. The question is, why did Tyson know the girl in the elevator? Why would he have come across her in the first place? My guess, she was probably pretty hot and he had either seen her somewhere and looked her up, or her picture popped up and he proceeded to check her out. What I don't understand is, its not like he involuntarily gathered all this information about her. I am ok with the fact that some people don't like social networks. Thats fine don't use them. The biggest concept that people need to grasp is that NOTHING that you do on the internet is anonymous. If you use the internet with the mindset that everyone can see what you do, you have nothing to worry about.

I feel like the same people that complain about Facebook being an invasion of privacy are the same ones that post negative status updates about work or their boss being an a-hole and in turn get fired. Obviously there are exceptions to that, but in general I think that is fair to say.

[maxman]

What a stupid reason to quit Facebook. The question is, why did Tyson know the girl in the elevator? Why would he have come across her in the first place? My guess, she was probably pretty hot and he had either seen her somewhere and looked her up, or her picture popped up and he proceeded to check her out. What I don't understand is, its not like he involuntarily gathered all this information about her. I am ok with the fact that some people don't like social networks. Thats fine don't use them. The biggest concept that people need to grasp is that NOTHING that you do on the internet is anonymous. If you use the internet with the mindset that everyone can see what you do, you have nothing to worry about.

I feel like the same people that complain about Facebook being an invasion of privacy are the same ones that post negative status updates about work or their boss being an a-hole and in turn get fired. Obviously there are exceptions to that, but in general I think that is fair to say.

Actually quite the opposite. My experence has been..personal or otherwise... is people who hold there privacy in high reguard are most likely to do the same for others.

The co worker analogy Is way way way off the mark.

If people feel that the positive out weighs the negitive as far as facebook Is concerned...fine...there choice. But it's not for me..and many others out there.

I have never had my activity here made public as far as I know. I have never had my cell phone calls or text messages made public..as far as I know.....but facebook?

Here is just one resent example why I dont care for FB

I was Involved In this online political debate..I had made several comments under the anonymity of my keyboard. My comments were for that thread and that thread only.

A few days later my comments were posted on my wall. I did not like or thumbs up anything. Im sick and tired of looking over my shoulder every minute. Did I log off fb? do I need to go there and see?

How Important is my privacy to me? I would give up the internet If I had to. It would be a very difficult thing to do..but I would to help protect my privacy.

I know my activity is followed..I check out a certain watch for example...then I have adds pop up with the same watch..so yes..I know my searches are monitored....but my friends and family dont know about these Interest of mine...not as far as I know...and long as I stay off fb

.

To each his own...but to insult someone who feels differently than you do is not the way to go my friend.

Mike

[jubog]

I didn't mean to insult anyone. I am sorry if it came across that way. I get your point and understand those that actually have had bad experience with privacy and Facebook. Obviously people who really do care a lot about their privacy probably won't be on Facebook to begin with. I guess what I was trying to say is that people who value their privacy above all else should leave Facebook, but having Facebook and complaining about privacy makes no sense. You can't post status updates or tweet and expect no one to find out...

[Ronin]

What a stupid reason to quit Facebook. <snip>... The biggest concept that people need to grasp is that NOTHING that you do on the internet is anonymous. If you use the internet with the mindset that everyone can see what you do, you have nothing to worry about.

I feel like the same people that complain about Facebook being an invasion of privacy are the same ones that post negative status updates about work or their boss being an a-hole and in turn get fired. Obviously there are exceptions to that, but in general I think that is fair to say.

As an X-Hacker (started in the 80's with a Commodore 64), I can assure you-- you CAN be anonymous on the internet, or at least leave a cold trail / dead end.

People like you and me, and a handful of others here know how to use the internet safely and with a level of protection. However, the majority of people really have no clue about addins, plugins, and TAKE THE DEFAULTS. Most Windows PC users use Internet Explorer because it comes with their computer. Most Mac users user Safari because it comes on their computer.

It all boils down to education. Unfortunately, most people don't deep dive and educate themselves on what they are really doing, using, etc.

As mentioned, if left unchecked, the day will come when you walk into a room, party, bar, and some smartphone/security camera is going to know who you are, how much money you make, your sexual orientation and deviations, medical conditions, etc. In fact, the person who takes privacy seriously and comes up with NO HISTORY / NO ONLINE IDENTITY will probably become the scourge or looked at suspiciously.

I still like to "get to know someone" via real life interaction. I don't want my smartphone to spit out all their info which may make me act differently towards that person.

[tomhorn]

As mentioned, if left unchecked, the day will come when you walk into a room, party, bar, and some smartphone/security camera is going to know who you are, how much money you make, your sexual orientation and deviations, medical conditions, etc. In fact, the person who takes privacy seriously and comes up with NO HISTORY / NO ONLINE IDENTITY will probably become the scourge or looked at suspiciously.

Someday?

That horse has left the stable already. Anyone who thinks they have any resemblence of privacy now is seriously deluded. The only way possible would be if you never hit the grid at all. Never had a job, bank account, credit card, loan, cell phone, internet access, utility or address in your name ... never gone anywhere ... the list goes on. If people truly knew what was stored in databases worldwide about themselves and their activity it would shock them.

Edited December 15, 2011 by tomhorn

[sempire]

Just being on the internet gives you all the risks of Facebook, it's not new.

[maxman]

I didn't mean to insult anyone. I am sorry if it came across that way. I get your point and understand those that actually have had bad experience with privacy and Facebook. Obviously people who really do care a lot about their privacy probably won't be on Facebook to begin with. I guess what I was trying to say is that people who value their privacy above all else should leave Facebook, but having Facebook and complaining about privacy makes no sense. You can't post status updates or tweet and expect no one to find out...

No problem jubog..I can see that you meant no harm...That being said...have a great holiday season...damit.

Mike

[Ronin]

Someday?

That horse has left the stable already. Anyone who thinks they have any resemblence of privacy now is seriously deluded. The only way possible would be if you never hit the grid at all. Never had a job, bank account, credit card, loan, cell phone, internet access, utility or address in your name ... never gone anywhere ... the list goes on. If people truly knew what was stored in databases worldwide about themselves and their activity it would shock them.

Yes and No. From government and three letter agency's, to big corporations and Casino's SURE.

The issue is when ANYONE with a Smartphone can gain access to personal/private information. (Prediction: Private Detectives are probably next to go the way of Newspapers)

I guess I care less about the government getting a court order (by law) to pull my credit card data, tap my phone, or obtain my internet history from my ISP. -or- Even corporations I CHOOSE to do business with.

I care more about some sick bastard in a bar stalking my wife, daughter, etc with EASE. -or- Nosy Voyeurs in my Condo building keeping tabs on me.

Just being on the internet gives you all the risks of Facebook, it's not new.

FALSE! 100% FALSE...

[tomhorn]

Yes and No. From government and three letter agency's, to big corporations and Casino's SURE.

The issue is when ANYONE with a Smartphone can gain access to personal/private information. (Prediction: Private Detectives are probably next to go the way of Newspapers)

I guess I care less about the government getting a court order (by law) to pull my credit card data, tap my phone, or obtain my internet history from my ISP. -or- Even corporations I CHOOSE to do business with.

I care more about some sick bastard in a bar stalking my wife, daughter, etc with EASE. -or- Nosy Voyeurs in my Condo building keeping tabs on me.

FALSE! 100% FALSE...

Again, ANYONE can already do this, and has been able to for years.

I had a woman who pulled up next to me in a car at a stoplight on campus one day and said 'nice car!'. We chatted briefly, not exchanging more than a first name. Two days later she called me. Said she got my name from the DMV via my license plate number and called information for my phone number .... in 1985.

Sure, the internet, cheap computing power, open records laws and a huge demand for consumer information has made this easier, but it's being going on for a long time and hasn't been that hard for the common man to get access to personal information.