From Outlaw.com 21.02.08
Social networking website Facebook claims to have fixed the privacy problems that have dogged it in recent weeks.
Users reported that it was impossible to delete all their information from the site, but Facebook says that total deletion is now possible.
There was an outcry when users discovered that they could leave Facebook, but that their details would remain on Facebook servers. The company said that this is in case users changed their minds and wanted to reactivate accounts.
Facebook, though, now says that it has introduced a method by which a user can permanently delete all of their information.
Let’s hope this represents a small step in the right direction but being unable to fully delete an account is a situation that should never have happened in the first place. The way people are using Facebook as a portal to throw up a plethora of personal information is nonetheless worrying. And there are so many doing so without stopping to think of the trail or ‘electronic footprint’ they are leaving behind, let alone giving thought to the repercussions. There should at least be more conspicuous warnings displayed on Facebook about the dangers of including personal details on the site. And while they’re at it, how about better access to the controls which users can adjust to limit others’ access to their personal details? While Facebook can’t be held responsible for people’s stupidity they surely owe a duty to highlight the dangers of their users’ actions.
In the computer room yesterday, I overheard a conversation which perfectly illustrated one of the main reasons why I despise Facebook.
"I've got 62 requests and they're all just....... nothing!” Oh great. Well worth visiting then and spending hours on the site. But it was still the first site she went to. I really give up with this one – I just don’t get Facebook’s mystical appeal.
But wait, there was more. She soon piped up with another belter: “oh and my friend joined the group that my cousin joined and that I joined and...”. Yeah, whatever. Let me guess, they’re all just..... nothing, right? A blatant waste of time and effort, building virtual cliques that are as desultory as they are irritating. And that's one of my biggest gripes about Facebook. It's just aimless congregating of people, albeit in the online world. Not much better, though, than kids on street corners.
I agree; facebook is a pretty pointless application and the user should take care not to reaveal too much by way of personal info, but then again one assumes that people posting such information know of and voluntarily assume the risks involved. ( who am I kidding?!?!) Half of the friend request thing is about the collection of numbers rather than bieng actual bona fide friends, which is a bit defeatist really.
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth is there on the site to spend hours on, to allow it to become so addictive? I just go there to pick up emails!!!
Given that you compare the facebook user to a kid on a street corner, I wonder how long it will be before the thought police ( i.e the government) start handing out virtual ASBOS??
As ever, Minxy, you make some interesting points. I think perhaps that 'Virtual ASBOs' SHOULD be dished out for people addicted to social networking sites. They are, after all, a menace to society.
ReplyDelete