Facebook Privacy -was Welcome to the Social Networking forum

[Gloria E]

Would Skype fall into this category, too?
Trying to set up in-laws with it, and they're 84 and 82 years old, respectively. It's been... fun.
It will be interesting to see the posts here. Social networking is growing quite rapidly and has become useful for both business purposes as well as a way for families and friends to share photos, etc. Some people are "afraid" of Facebook; not sure why, since you DO have the ability to share only what you really WANT to share. A little prudence or common sense goes a long way there.
Thanks for creating this!
MishMish3000

I'll tell you why I'm afraid of and no longer using Facebook. I discovered that it was sending inviations to people I didn't know, asking if they wanted to be friends with me.

I withdrew my participation the very next day.

Gloria E

[mishmish3000]

Is there no way to stop that? Gosh!

[Bigaldoc]

I'll tell you why I'm afraid of and no longer using Facebook. I discovered that it was sending inviations to people I didn't know, asking if they wanted to be friends with me.

I'm not gonna set myself up as a "defense attorney" for Facebook, Gloria, but I've been a user for four years and I think I know a bit about how Facebook works.

Facebook DOES NOT send friend requests! Users send friend requests and there ARE some nefarious users there just like there are in all walks of our current "electronic" lives. Facebook DOES point out SUGGESTIONS of people you might like to make friends with and they do that based on friends-of-friends analyses. If you're friends with Joe Schmuck, FB might show you a suggestion on screen of one or more of HIS friends that you might like to see. But, they DO NOT send friend requests on that basis.

If you got friend requests from someone you do not know, it was because that person looked you up and sent a friend request. All you have to do is discard that request and your "security" is NOT compromised! You can also click one place to BLOCK further communication from that person.

I recently got a friend request from a "lady" in a foreign country who obviously was up to no good. When I checked her page, it said that I could "sign up" to see her nude photos on her web page! Yeah, sure. Rejected and blocked. I think in four years I've gotten two or three like that.

But on a daily basis, I get sidebar recommendations from Facebook of suggested friends I don't know, just because Susie Smith is my friend and she has a friend named Moe Jasper. No harm, no foul. I just ignore those sidebar suggestions. And finally, just like Windows and all other aspects of electronics, there are the occasional "hackers" who somehow break in and invade someone's account. But those are very FEW and far between. If you want an example or two of that kind of stuff, let me know.

Different strokes for different folks. If you don't like Facebook then you should do as you're doing - avoid it.

[Gloria E]

I'll tell you why I'm afraid of and no longer using Facebook. I discovered that it was sending inviations to people I didn't know, asking if they wanted to be friends with me.

I'm not gonna set myself up as a "defense attorney" for Facebook, Gloria, but I've been a user for four years and I think I know a bit about how Facebook works.

Facebook DOES NOT send friend requests! Users send friend requests and there ARE some nefarious users there just like there are in all walks of our current "electronic" lives. Facebook DOES point out SUGGESTIONS of people you might like to make friends with and they do that based on friends-of-friends analyses. If you're friends with Joe Schmuck, FB might show you a suggestion on screen of one or more of HIS friends that you might like to see. But, they DO NOT send friend requests on that basis.

If you got friend requests from someone you do not know, it was because that person looked you up and sent a friend request. All you have to do is discard that request and your "security" is NOT compromised! You can also click one place to BLOCK further communication from that person.

I recently got a friend request from a "lady" in a foreign country who obviously was up to no good. When I checked her page, it said that I could "sign up" to see her nude photos on her web page! Yeah, sure. Rejected and blocked. I think in four years I've gotten two or three like that.

But on a daily basis, I get sidebar recommendations from Facebook of suggested friends I don't know, just because Susie Smith is my friend and she has a friend named Moe Jasper. No harm, no foul. I just ignore those sidebar suggestions. And finally, just like Windows and all other aspects of electronics, there are the occasional "hackers" who somehow break in and invade someone's account. But those are very FEW and far between. If you want an example or two of that kind of stuff, let me know.

Different strokes for different folks. If you don't like Facebook then you should do as you're doing - avoid it.

You plus tons of others are using facebook and they all can't be wrong, perhaps I jumped to conclusions and didn't check where the invitaitons came from. So many of my friends, relations and a lot of people who have TV shows, say meet me on Facebook. I think I will give it a second look.

Thanks for your reasurrance of Facebooks qualities.

[Bigaldoc]

Gloria, just be sure you set ALL your Facebook "privacy" settings to FRIENDS ONLY. That's the major part of the battle that many people don't get. If you don't do that, it allows everyone to "see you."

[BobH]

I tried FB but was not convinced that it had any merit for me. I prefer to have the feeling that I have more control.

My greatest concern - and it applies equally to Google, Yahoo, et al - is that all my messages are stored where the information is available for data mining and I cannot influence (much less control) how the data about me personally or publicly (legally). I'm not so much paranoid as I am greatly distrustful of the situation.

If you have information that would reassure me, please share it. The problem is that I've seen too many Orwellian changes in my lifetime.

[stuck]

My greatest concern - and it applies equally to Google, Yahoo, et al - is that all my messages are stored where the information is available for data mining and I cannot influence (much less control) how the data about me personally or publicly (legally).

FB (the software) will only make public what YOU tell it to make public. It may be a bit fiddly to track down every last nook and cranny where the various security settings are hidden but once you find them YOU do have control over what the FB software displays. In my limited experience this is where most people fail and why they blame FB for not respecting their privacy.

On the other hand FB (the company), is a very different beast. Like every other company on the planet they exist for one purpose - to make money. They will data mine your profile and postings so they can feed you ads, which they hope you will click through and thus encourage the advertisers to continue to peddle their wares via them. Since my browser is Firefox and it has Adblock Plus installed I never see any of the ads FB that feeds to my profile so I have no idea how 'spooky' or otherwise FB is in collecting info about other websites I've visited and targeting ads at me but I know it's happening! In fact stuckling1 mentioned only talking the other day about how his (IE + no adblocking users) friends are frequently amazed at how FB targets advertising at them. Once he explains to them the basic principles behind this 'spookiness' they realise it's not magic, it's just common sense, since FB are about making money.

Ken

[mishmish3000]

Yes, I've tried to explain this to various older relatives and in-laws... often, they see the whole computer as mysterious and spooky. What I try to do is empower them, and encourage them to research things like how to set good privacy settings on FB, so they can enjoy seeing their grandkid's photos but not be bombarded by odd friend requests, or share too much personal info. It's been very nice to see these mostly older folks really get "into" using social media as well as other things on their computers, like Skype. At first, they're intimidated but once they understand things a little better, it's super. :)

[BobH]

Yes, I've tried to explain this to various older relatives and in-laws... often, they see the whole computer as mysterious and spooky. What I try to do is empower them, and encourage them to research things like how to set good privacy settings on FB, so they can enjoy seeing their grandkid's photos but not be bombarded by odd friend requests, or share too much personal info. It's been very nice to see these mostly older folks really get "into" using social media as well as other things on their computers, like Skype. At first, they're intimidated but once they understand things a little better, it's super. :)

I am one of those older folks but there are no mysteries like you describe in computers for me. I first encountered a mainframe in 1964 and was programming within a year. I ran software development and maintenance shops and entire IT departments over the next 40 years. I know what they can do and I know that many of the people who deploy them have few if any scruples about the privacy or rights of the general - from first-hand experience.

My disinclination to use fb and my concern about Google, et al is that the data can be co-opted by people who would exploit it to my disadvantagr. The privacy spoken of here is ephimeral giving only the appearancce of giving one a semblance of control to lull one into trusting the services further. While you might have settings to keep other users from seeing your activity (which is not true for advanced hackers; they can overcome such), you have no control over how your behavior and the physical and cyber locations you inhabit will be used. There is no constitutional protection and very little civil legal recourse.

Of course, one might argue that an honest man has nothing to fear. History is replete with examples refuting that thesis showing that the affairs and rights of honest men have been abused frequently by those who have or obtin information about them.

I might be a fearful old man but not one who is uninformed or unsophisticated.