Razela - 04 March 2007 12:29 AM

thunder - 03 March 2007 02:59 PM

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.

I don’t get it.  How would they even get this information and what would be the purpose?  I mean, instand messaging services?  How would they even know what I’m messaging to my friends and why would they care?  Newspapers?  I guess I don’t really understand the point of this paragraph.

Razela, they make a kind of ‘paper’ ‘non-paper’ trail.  But this information IS used and often when you’re applying for employment at middle and higher-end positions.  For example, if your credit history is really messed up, or you have gone bankrupt, those employers view this as a kind of blueprint to your overall life behavior. 

Friends you are associated with are also noted because they are an influence on your life and choices.  If they are merely acquaintances, then even your preference for those you gather with, or are attracted to, are also considered your bend-in-behavior patterns.

If you think I’m kidding, I’m not…..  many years ago I went completely bankrupt.  Prior to this I held a middle-end position and had for over a decade.  While I was prepared to endure another decade without credit, I was astonished that my credit record was not only available to prospective employers, but they used it as I stated above.  I was deemed unacceptable for quite a few positions for which I applied.  Some of these folks [employers] were at least (most) upfront about gaining access and using this information it to make their decision about whether or not to hire me [and others].

The Facebook may ‘say’ that information is private, but I can assure you that NOTHING is private and just as with those famous individuals whose sordid skeletons are exposed in the media, so any individual’s can and will be used by another to their benefit.

I’m not so sure about that huli.  Credit information is available through background checks before getting a job.  However, I think it’s pretty unlikely that the government turns to facebook or reads my instant messages to get information about my favorite t.v. programs and who my friends are.  I would think that advertisers are the more likely 3rd party to this information.

Am I the only one who couldn’t actually access the site without having some STUPID US Visa pop-up appear?

Razela - 02 March 2007 04:48 PM

It seems like the person who made this is upset that facebook can give the statistics on individuals to third parties.

Nope. He/she is upset because several top people involved in this information mining/profiling through Facebook, appear to have a previous connection to the Department of Defense (according to this presentation).

In other words, the argument is that Facebook is nothing more than a hidden attempt to profile people, the gleaned information serving National Security purpose.

And Razela, it can do a lot of harm if “they” have a complete profile of your contacts, political persuasion etc., through social networks like Facebook. It is only a few decades ago that several of your countries citizens ended up on black lists and were no longer able to get jobs in their profession because of alledged left wing contacts or sympathies during the McCarthy Red Scare in your country.

McCarthy-ism

Red Scare

Please note that A LOT of innocent people were the victims of this McCarthyism at the time. Replace “communist” with “terrorists"and indeed, there is cause for worry seeing the current trends with allowing more and more in the interest of “National Security”.

Yeah, what LaMa said

Gathering data for marketing purposes is obnoxious, but it has always happened in one form or another and it is generally harmless as far as you shouldn’t find men in black suits at your door because you are hanging out with a group of friends that all have ipods and drink diet coke and like to go snowboarding and prefer Xbox to Playstations.

The concern is who is behind the data gathering and the fact that a large part of facebook’s demographic is students. Goverment officials have not forgotton the 60’s nor where much of the source of civil unrest during that time came from. Colleges were a breeding ground for alternative politics and demonstrations and those kids turned the establishment upside down. If you draw a parallel between vietnam and iraq and the growing discontent with the current govt, you can see where they might want to keep an eye on what is happening on our campus’s.

Ok ok ok, I think I’m just too young to really get it.  I understand what you’re all saying, especially now that people have been using facebook as a front for political ideologies.  I tend to keep my politics out of facebook.  My page pretty much consists of statements on how Danny Elfman is a god and which books I’ve read lately.  Hardly incriminating information.

Danny Elfman IS a god!

MadCarlotta - 07 March 2007 10:51 AM

Danny Elfman IS a god!

Exactly my point!!!

Razela - 07 March 2007 10:59 AM

MadCarlotta - 07 March 2007 10:51 AM

Danny Elfman IS a god!

Exactly my point!!!

Actually…I don’t think that was my point, but it is true!  That’s got to count for something.

Razela - 07 March 2007 10:44 AM

My page pretty much consists of statements on how Danny Elfman is a god and which books I’ve read lately.  Hardly incriminating information.

Untill several of those books happen to be written by an author deemed “Un-American” by a modern day McCarthy (and Danny Elfman ends up on a “blacklist"for similar reasons). Or friends in your network have such books listed.

I had to Google Danny Elfman by the way.

LaMa - 07 March 2007 11:02 AM

I had to Google Danny Elfman by the way.

LaMa, I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed in you.