Faaaayyyyccceeeebuuuuhhhhkkkkk

This is another filler post until I'm less angry about everything.

Everyone knows or has heard of this site called Facebook. It's MySpace all grown-up; social networking with all the restrictions and computerized moderation that that immature upstart doesn't have.

MySpace is like the local pub where all the kids hang out and pitchers are 5$. Facebook is the snooty afterhours club that charges 25$ cover and has two angry Russian bouncers.

Anyway, I spent the 15-20 minutes it takes to look over the Facebook Privacy Policy, since nobody has as empty and dull of a life as I do, therefore skipping reading website privacy polices.

Here are some highlights I dug up that I wish to share to those of you who choose to use Facebook. Pay attention.

Excerpt One:

By default, we [Facebook] use a persistent cookie that stores your login ID (but not your password) to make it easier for you to login when you come back to Facebook. You can remove or block this cookie using the settings in your browser if you want to disable this convenience feature.

Ok, so that's not terrible. In fact, I'm sure most users find it convenient. But consider this: the lion's share of Facebook's users and core audience are college students. College students have a habit of using public, shared labs with public, shared internet terminals (except the rich kids with their MacBooks). Those terminals are already bad enough in that most of them don't log you out automatically should you forget to do so.

In general, sensitive internet work like online banking and such should not be done on publicly-accessible terminals at all.

So by default, keeping your login ID (which inconveniently is your e-mail address) stored in the little box lets the next user know a key piece of information. Facebook says if you don't like it, change the browser settings. Yeah, try that on any college computer and you'll get a big fat "Administrator priviliges" warning. Moving on... Excerpt Two:

Facebook may also collect information about you from other sources, such as newspapers, blogs, instant messaging services, and other users of the Facebook service through the operation of the service (e.g., photo tags) in order to provide you with more useful information and a more personalized experience.

This little idea reoccurs a number of times in the privacy policy. I'd probably have to send an e-mail to them or talk to my lawyer to know exactly what they mean by this, but like, ain't it sort of creepy that a website tells you that it might essentially wanna cyberstalk you?
Excerpt Three:

By using Facebook, you are consenting to have your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States.

Self-explanatory. Caveat emptor, my Iranian and North Korean comrades. Excerpt Four:

Facebook may use information in your profile without identifying you as an individual to third parties. We do this for purposes such as aggregating how many people in a network like a band or movie and personalizing advertisements and promotions so that we can provide you Facebook. We believe this benefits you. You can know more about the world around you and, where there are advertisements, they're more likely to be interesting to you.

Oh God. "We believe this benefits you?" "You can know more about the world around you?" That's some f_ucked up stuff. I'm glad a corporation now owned partially by Microsoft believes that them making money off of selling my personal information is good for me. En plus, it will teach me about the world around me. That just sounds like a self-help video for autistic kids. Anyway, just to put this in perspective, pretty much every site does this. Including of course, Google. Then again, understand that Google doesn't ask you your full date of birth (publicly available on a lot of Facebook profiles) and Home/Mobile phone numbers, and other strange things.

Excerpt Five:

If you, your friends, or members of your network use any third-party applications developed using the Facebook Platform ("Platform Applications"), those Platform Applications may access and share certain information about you with others in accordance with your privacy settings.

This one here's the real concern. All those terrible, highly repugnant apps that people pollute their profiles with (iLike, SuperWall, Graffiti, Zombies, EatMyDick etc.) are made by other companies aside from Facebook. For every user too careless to pick through their privacy settings (and there's a hell of a lot), a ton of companies and strange folk may be getting access to personal information about you, and doing God-Knows-What with it. And let me tell you, some of those companies may not be as friendly and smiley as Facebook.

Bonus Excerpt:

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at privacy@facebook.com . You may also contact us by mail at 156 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301.

So, now you know. You're all adults hopefully reading this blog so make up your own minds next time one of your buddies asks you "Hey, you heard about this Facebook thing? Yea, everybody's on it........"

=//Turnquest