Bingo!
Three weeks ago, Facebook implemented their ironically titled “Open Graph,” reneging on their original privacy promises, converting what you originally thought was your private profile (your name, the city you live in, names of your friends, photos and causes you believe in) into public by default. Remember when Facebook positioned themselves as the private social network in response to Myspace’s sex predator controversy, where family and friends could share their authentic profiles and real information? Those days are so… 2 years ago. In search of the mother-Zucker of all business models, Facebook would like to extend what is now the largest data base of connections (500 million strong) into a data base of what we like and share, because there’s even more money to be made if the advertiser can better target us.
I have to confess I didn’t join Facebook to share. I joined because I was addicted to another open graph, Scrabulous, the now extinct and legendary black market version of Scrabble. Scrabulous was like the classic board game, only the online version was better. I could play multiple games simultaneously, play fast or slow, with friends around the world. And then, one day, it was all taken away from me… until it reappeared again as a Facebook-only game. Any hesitation I had about joining this social network was assuaged by their promise of privacy (and the promise of more “bingos!”). So I signed up, and played on. Then Scrabble-maker Hasbro sued — Facebook pulled Scrabulous and replaced it with the clunkier official Scrabble app, but by then, I was one of hundreds of millions of Facebook users spelling high-school reunion.
I’m a private person. I like to share some experiences and information with various friends, but I usually don’t tell each of them everything (of course, I tell YOU everything). Facebook did make it easier to share photos, links and updates with family and friends. I accept their right to make a buck. I also understand I am free to turn the spigot off whenever I like — even though it takes a Mensa membership to figure out how to deactivate or delete your account. While I can see the incredible value and power of a Web with more accurate data on what I like (better music, movie, book and food recommendations), I still feel reversing their original brand position is a bait and switch. It’s really quite simple — when a platform decides for me who my group is, I lose trust with them, just like I would with any unscrupulous “friend” who betrayed my trust. It’s as if I ordered Niman’s exclusive applewood smoked bacon, and ended up with Spam (sorry Hawaii!).
I’m not ready to jump off the social network’s ship yet, but Facebook’s recent changes have clarified what I should have realized years ago: there is no reasonable expectation of privacy on the Web. The burden is on the users, not the social platform (as there will always be errors like last week’s Facebook security hole exposing what were supposed to be private chats). We need to be proactive, remembering that the Internet is a public forum by default. Anything you say on, post or upload on the Net will be there forever and searchable by both those you love and hate either because of an “accident” or a policy change.
In response to the barrage of criticism and threats of boycotts, Facebook has announced they will now introduce a simplified set of privacy settings (albeit with the default still set to public sharing). For those of us who are concerned about privacy rights, this is probably a short-lived victory, as I sense there is an inevitable truth to what Zuckerberg said when he introduced “Open Graph” — society’s mores are changing and the boundaries between public and private are blurring rapidly. Likewise, those of us who are concerned about the recent changes to Scrabble — allowing names of celebrities — had better get used to it.
The good news is Facebook’s hegemony and attempts to seize more control over our user profiles has inspired some great tools. If you’re not comfortable sharing everything, here’s a couple of tools I’ve found helpful:
ReclaimPrivacy.org is an open-source-browser bookmarklet that let’s you inspect your Facebook settings and let’s you know what areas are at risk.
YourOpenbook.org shows you Facebook users who probably share TMI and could have used the tool above.
I needed to read this! Thanks for writing such an informative and funny entry. I have been tempted in the past week to remove my facebook account. I still am thinking about it, but until then, I’ll click the link you mention and set some privacy rules.
Great post! I, too, miss Scrabulous. I was OBSESSED with the game and have rarely played since Scrabble officially took over. Jason Calacanis (our favorite incensed blogger) is advocating for people to deactivate their Facebook account (if not delete it entirely) in protest to Facebook’s (lack of) privacy settings. I am keeping my account (for now) if only because SO MUCH of my life and connections are already set there. How else could I know what people with whom I went to camp or high school are doing with their lives? I use Facebook more for receiving information/news rather than sharing it. That’s what Twitter is for…
@Amber: try ReclaimPrivacy.org — they have a simple way to test and fine tune your settings. You might also want to create lists or different categories of your connections. Takes a little bit of time, but worth the effort. Lastly, if you operate under the assumption that anything is potentially visible, nothing FB does will surprise you anymore.
@Julie: Thanks! Life isn’t the same without Scrabulous. I understand why it had to go, but it worked way better than the official version.
I understand and am sympathetic to anyone who wants to deactivate or delete their FB account, but I also understand why most people (like yourself) won’t. It seems like despite their privacy reversals, FB will rule by consent.