I’m on a technology rant today, just the way it goes some days…
There’s been a number of interesting privacy things happening lately. The most interesting is the FTC’s smack down of Google. Here’s a good article on it… but basically Google got forced into 20 (yes, 20!) years of privacy audits and a requirement that users have to Opt-In to future social marketing endeavors. This is a pretty big blow to them and it bolster’s the FTC’s case that they should be able to regulate what companies are doing with the information we give to them. This has to be making Facebook, who happily whores out your data to all comers and constantly tries to ‘innovate’ new ways of doing so, a little nervous. FTC regulation might put a damper on Zuckerburg’s notion that ‘Privacy is dead’ and in the process, affect their IPO which is probably coming soon.
There really needs to be better legislation protecting the data we give to companies. I highly encourage you to support movements like Dotrights.org.
We’re giving a lot of data to companies and when companies like RapLeaf are attaching all that data to your name and then selling it, there needs to be some protections.
I am one of the extremely few people in my age group (16-25) to NOT have facebook, yet be a social guy. I absolutely love the privacy advantage i have over friends. I hear stories all the time of friends getting into trouble with girls, or boyfriends, or whatever for talking to people on facebook they shouldnt be or looking at pics they shouldnt be. I hear stories of people getting in trouble with school or work with facebook. But ME…i live in my own little private world where no one knows if i have a girlfriend or not or what parties i go to. Its awesome. I can turn off my phone, and since i dont have facebook, i essentially disappear from the social world. Anyone else share in my love of extreme privacy in comparison of facebook slaves?