Friday, May 21, 2010

Privacy Concerns Cause A lot more Users To Delete Facebook Accounts

Privacy Concerns Cause More Users To Delete Facebook Accounts

If you want to delete your Facebook, join the crowd. In April, Facebook began a program where they give out personal information, not only to friends, but to anybody who looks it up on the internet. Individuals appear to be more concerned about Facebook privacy issues and what Facebook is doing with their personal information. Web superstars, privacy advocates, and even politicians have announced that they will be deleting their Facebook accounts.

Individuals deleting Facebook accounts for privacy reasons

Unless they block it manually, personal info is now fair game, so people are deleting their Facebook accounts. Blogger Mat McKeon reports that when Facebook was founded, way back in 2005, it restricted a user’s personal data to just friends and their network. Over the past couple of years, the default Facebook privacy settings for a user’s personal data have become as permissive as installment payday loans. Now, everyone who wants to can see anything but your birthday and contact information. Facebook has also changed how your personal info is classified several times in ways that numerous users see as deliberately confusing.

Make sure to update your Facebook privacy settings

McKeon doesn't plan on deleting his Facebook account and doesn't suggest others do either. He identifies with Facebook’s effort to make money off the details it gathers by providing a free service. But he strongly advocates double and triple checking your privacy settings for a personal profile that could be revealing anything from where you live to the movies you like and the individuals you trust. The Wall Street Journal reports that some high-profile members of the tech community, like Google search-engine guru Matt Cutts and Engadget co-founder Peter Rojas, have announced in recent weeks that they were deactivating their Facebook accounts, a step that shuts down but doesn't delete the Facebook account totally.

How to permanently delete my Facebook account?

Permanently deleting your Facebook account won't be as simple as a click. Facebook makes it super easy to deactivate your account making your info temporarily unavailable. Apparently, according to wikiHow, finding the "permanent delete" option is much harder. This wikiHow article definitely answers the question: How do I delete my Facebook account forever?

Privacy difficulties with Facebook

A top Google search recently has been "delete Facebook account". As outlined by ABC News, the latest backlash began brewing after Facebook's developer conference that was a couple of weeks ago. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled various changes he said would make the Web more social and personalized by expanding Facebook’s presence to other websites. On thousands of sites a “social plug-in” will now let users “like” content and see what their Facebook friends have liked, directly from those sites.

Facebook privacy violations

Facebook now by default gives 3rd party companies access to members' names, hobbies, and friends lists. When a Facebook user logs onto any web site with the Facebook social plug-in, the content displayed is shaped by the personal information that was in their Facebook account, as well as the personal details of their friends. If you would like this feature to stop, a manual request is required.

Advocates of Facebook privacy

Powerful legislator is on the side of people who are upset about Facebook privacy policies. “With great power comes great responsibility, and sites like Facebook have great responsibility,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a news conference a week after Facebook’s announcements. “In my view, it ought to be the user who determines who gets what information, not Facebook.” Schumer asked the Federal Trade Commission to create some guidelines for Facebook and other social networks to follow.

Many delete Facebook account forever

Facebook hasn't done much to help its recent problem associated with privacy. In a Q and A session with readers of the New York Times, Elliot Schrage, Facebook's vice president for public policy, responded to privacy concerns by saying that participating in Facebook is "a choice." He said "Please don't share if you're not comfortable.". That advice is being taken by many.

Resources

Mat McKeon reports

http://mattmckeon.com/facebook-privacy/

Wall Street Journal reports

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/05/14/looking-to-delete-your-facebook-account-youre-not-alone/



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