Facebook: De-friend or No?

By now, you’ve all eagerly joined the social networking giant, Facebook.  With over 500 million active users (and rising), it’s easier than ever to keep in contact with friends, coworkers, or just plain acquaintances.  This newer form of online networking makes it easier for us to express ourselves to the people we let into our unique social-circles. 

But is there more to Facebook than simply maintaining this cyber social platform?  With the amount of personal data people are slapping up on the site, there have been growing concerns for the privacy of said data.  Most of you champions don’t fully realize exactly how much data Facebook receives from its constituency, and have never thought of the implications of volunteering the information you do.  In this post, we’ll investigate exactly how much data you potentially supply, the privacy of your valuable information, and the deeper implications of Facebook storing/having access to such data.

Data Facebook Receives

"Profile" Data

Facebook allows you to create your own ‘profile’. 

Definition:  ¹pro·file noun \ˈprō-ˌfī(-ə)l\:

1)      A compilation of personal information that uniquely identifies the user to other Facebook users and Facebook. 

In order to join Facebook, you have to create a profile.  The minimum requirements for a newly created profile consists of forking over four pieces of your personal information:

·         Name

·         Email

·         Gender

·         Birthdate

And voila, you’ve got a Facebook account.  That’s all it takes.  Now you can go play with all of the other online fuckwads without having to supply Facebook with anything else.  


The catch:  it’s lame to limit your profile to these four fields.  Think about it, how many of your Facebook friends have only these four attributes?  Most of the Facebook community supplies at least a profile picture to help personalize their profile.  Then there are those who continually add info to their profile on a daily basis.  Hey, building your own personal online empire requires adding data.  So whether you’re a Facebook minimalist, or you eagerly look for ways to lengthen your e-penis, here’s a comprehensive list of all the data fields you’re able to supply to Facebook for your profile:

          

“Interaction” Data 

The data collecting doesn’t stop with just your profile.  Facebook also keeps track of how you behave on their site.  Enter “interaction" data:

Definition:   in·ter·ac·tion da·ta noun \in-tər-ˈak-shən dā-tə\:   

1)      Data that Facebook collects while users are interacting with the site and other users. 

Interaction data includes (but is certainly not limited to):

·         Commenting (pictures, statuses, videos, etc.)

·         “Like”-ing (pictures, statuses, comments, etc.)

·         Adding Friends

·         Tagging Friends

·         Creating/Joining a Group

·         Creating/Participating in an Event

·         Wall Posts (links, photos, text, etc.)

There’s a ball-load of things that are considered Interaction Data, but I don’t have the 30 years it would take to enumerate every possible interaction imaginable on Facebook.  Instead, I listed the important ones.  If there’s an ambitious champion out there reading this, feel free to take up that task and post it, I’ll even give bonus points.  And though I listed only seven actions, each one can be done dozens of times per day (or more) by a single Facebook user.

Metadata

Oh, we aren’t done yet.  Ever hear of metadata?  If not:

                Definition:  meta·da·ta noun \méttə-ˈdā-tə\:

1)      Data about data:  descriptive statistical information about the elements of a set of data.

Let’s say you add a photo.  The photo may include metadata that describes how large the picture is, when it was created, or even color depth.  Metadata for comments could be character length (the number of letters, spaces, or symbols for you technically challenged champions), or word count.  Just about everything comes with metadata baggage, and Facebook gets all of that as well.

Let’s pause here for a little number crunching.  Doing a little bit of math, we start off with the mandatory 4 pieces of info required.  Then we see there are up to 33 more fields of information that we manually populate on our profile, while Facebook also obtains countless instances of interaction data per person.  Tack on metadata for all of the above, multiply by 500 million, and we get:

[4 + 33 + (# of ‘interactions’ per user) + metadata] x 500 million = a giant fuck load.  

Of course this is a crazy equation (and it assumes everyone fills out everything), but the point is simple:  Facebook currently contains way more data than any of us can fathom, and it grows ridiculously daily.  So why are we allowing Facebook to collect this info, what’s in it for us?  This is debatable (like a lot of the shit soon to be on here), but I’ll submit that there’s quite a lot available to Facebook users.  Let’s investigate: 

FaceBenefits

Connectivity

This is by far the main reason we all join Facebook:  to stay connected with people, important or casual.  Connecting with one another allows us to keep in touch with all kinds of people in our lives.  Via the News Feed, we can instantaneously see updates for all of the people we friended.  You can see pictures your cousin took on their Caribbean vacation, pictures of your high school classmate’s college graduation, or any number of things, and AS THEY POST IT.  Viewing this wealth of information in real-time has never been seen before Facebook, and can definitely be an efficient tool for keeping in contact. 

Speaking of real-time connectivity, Facebook’s chat feature also enables its users to be a chat message away from conveying vital information, be it next week’s homework assignment or the low-down on your skank ex-girlfriend.  Tons of you champions use Facebook as a major form of online communication, which makes sense since everyone on the planet has a Facebook account.

No matter what you say about Facebook, it really has revolutionized our ability to stay connected with one another.  Just think of the hassle and improbability of being exposed to such information before Facebook emerged.  And for those of you that think this introduces an information overload to the user, you can always customize the information that appears in your News Feed.  I know I eliminate updates from your bullshit farm on Farmville, or your constant whiney-ass status updates.  With this kind of access and control, keeping in touch means something completely different now than it did ten years ago. 

Self-Expression

Not only can you express your likes, dislikes, and world views on your profile, you can express them on your friends’ profiles.  Thanks to the handy little commenting feature, you can have anything from one-off comments to complete dialogues with many people on just about anything you post.  A picture’s worth a thousand comments, and Facebook made that possible.  You can also join worthy causes created on Facebook, such as “10,000 STRONG for LIVE ENTERTAINMENT in BALTIMORE” (yeah…).  The facets for self-expression on Facebook are limitless.

News Source

This is a good one, I can’t tell you how many things I’ve learned from other people posting links, video clips, or just comments about some of the shit that goes on in the world.  We had a devastating flood a few years ago in my hometown, and guess how I heard about it?  My entire News Feed was bombarded with pictures, comments, and updates about what was going on as it happened.  I hopped on the blower after I happened upon it on my News Feed.  Many thanks, Facebook-townies.

And it’s not just local news you hear about through others on Facebook, but important events become focal online chatter-points as well.  Posting links from CNN, BBC, or even a clip of John Stewart ranting about an issue can bring national news straight to my attention, as opposed to my having to search for it. 

Forming Groups

Forming a group/event on Facebook is a great way to organize anything from study groups to a bra burning event at the nation’s capital (I wish I was old enough to remember one of those).  Not only is it an efficient way to organize a gathering for whatever reason, but groups also have the potential to be motivational.  I have 2 monthly groups I’m on the hook for (one professional, one extracurricular), and it’s a good way to oblige yourself to whatever goals you set.  Some people are planners, and by committing to these groups, they stay on task.

Gaming

Ah, Facebook games.  Many of you take part in these easily-accessible distractions.  Games are fun, and can offer a momentary (or not-so momentary) reprieve from your daily work.  Procrastination aside, games played on the Facebook platform can range from plain vanilla solitaire, to friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition on Mafia Wars.  Also, you can meet other like-minded or common-interested Facebook users in some games.  Besides, who doesn’t like playing games?

The bottom line for using Facebook is thus:  benefits of using Facebook are many and fruitful.  So with all Facebook has to offer, why wouldn’t someone jump on the Facebook bandwagon (if you can find someone who hasn’t already)?  


Well, my devoted champion, there's a lot going on behind the scenes of Facebook that you don't know about.  Many issues such as data privacy and the continual changes the Facebook Privacy Policy has undergone has unnerved many a Facebook user.  So get ready, here comes the part where we start the dialogue about the numerous privacy issues, and what really happens to your data.   

Pitfalls & Caveats

Privacy Concerns

The more intelligent champions out there have at one time or another questioned the security of the data they provide this networking-behemoth.  For a single corporate entity to contain all of that data, how are we to know they won’t sell it all to the highest bidder?  Is my data protected?

TRUSTe Program

Facebook does take measures to ensure your privacy, as they have been a TRUSTe sealholder since 2006.  What the hell is TRUSTe?  TRUSTe is an internet privacy service that helps companies create privacy policy that adhere to their “program requirements”.  TRUSTe’s mission is to ensure transparency, accountability, and consumer choice when it comes to websites that contain any private information.  Other companies that are current sealholders are Yahoo, Microsoft, PayPal, IBM, eBay, AOL, Comcast, and Apple.  You can read more about it on your own time here:  the point is, your data is safe from the random ass wipes on the interwebs that want your demographical goods.

So we’re fine, right?  Everything can be locked down as uber-private, and we have the ultimate say as to who sees what, right? 

Not right.  As it currently stands, it’s impossible to make your profile 100% private.  Facebook’s current configuration makes it mandatory that there be a few pieces of information that everyone can see, whether you like it or not.  No matter what you do, your Name and Profile Pic are visible to everyone.  Facebook’s reasoning is something to the effect that it makes you easier to connect with, and that’s what the “site tries to accomplish”. 

“Everyone” Content

Which leads me to the subject of “everyone” content.  What Facebook calls “everyone content” is a privacy setting that everyone can see, regardless of having a Facebook account.  Facebook explains this in their privacy policy:

"Information set to “everyone” is publicly available information, just like your name, profile picture, and connections.  Such information may, for example, be accessed by everyone on the Internet (including people not logged into Facebook), be indexed by third party search engines, and be imported, exported, distributed, and redistributed by us and others without privacy limitations. Such information may also be associated with you, including your name and profile picture, even outside of Facebook, such as on public search engines and when you visit other sites on the internet.  The default privacy setting for certain types of information you post on Facebook is set to “everyone.” You can review and change the default settings in your privacy settings. If you delete “everyone” content that you posted on Facebook, we will remove it from your Facebook profile, but have no control over its use outside of Facebook." --Facebook Privacy Policy, 3. Sharing information on Facebook

If you’re worried about privacy, the take-away from this is thus:  get everything you can off of the “everyone” setting.  If you aren’t sure what your privacy settings are, here’s a simple tip:  get off your ass already.  Your privacy settings can be found under the Account tab, in your Privacy Settings. I’d configure/check up on your settings before you go on to the next section.  Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

Privacy Policy Changes
Did you check your privacy settings?  Good, get in the habit of doing that frequently too, as Facebook's been known to change the Privacy Policy often.  And here's a neat little tidbit:  most times they've changed it, the users' data has been known to revert back to the "everyone" privacy setting.  This of course pissed off a lot of the Facebook community, so I'm not sure if Facebook will continue to roll like that.  But for the cynical champion, your best bet is to be aware.

A really interesting/disturbing graphical that shows the timeline of the changes made by Facebook with regards to their privacy was made by a dude with the name Matt McKeon.  I encourage you all to check out Matt's graphical.  Hats off to ya Matt.

The ever-growing lack of privacy has concerned many out there, some to the point of deleting their accounts.  But for those of you champions out there that aren't scared quite yet, we're just flicking the tip of this nipple.  

Third Party Vendors 

Now that we’re armed with a little more knowledge of who sees what, we can more efficiently combat that random ass wipe trolling about the interwebs.  But what about not-so-random ass wipes?  Enter Third Party Vendors, a.k.a. Facebook Apps, Games, Quizzes, Surveys, or any other of the extraneous bullshit most champions out there take part in.  Read this next line carefully, champions:

Facebook doesn’t own or operate any of the applications or games found on Facebook. 

Instead, they’re made from independent Third Party Vendors.  If anyone’s concerned with privacy, then this next segment is the most important in this whole write up. 

Third Party Vendors (TPVs) require you to consensually agree to allow them access to your info before they let you use their product.  If you don’t allow them access, you don’t get to use whatever app/game/quiz you sought out.  To hedge the privacy bet, Facebook has these TPVs sign agreements that prohibit them from completely bending you over, but if just one of the thousands of TPVs wanted to go rogue with your data once you allow them access, theoretically, Facebook can’t stop them. Here are your Rights and Responsibilities.

We’ve all seen that little warning prompt that says by adding the app you’re letting the TPV into your goods.  For the majority of these tpvs, they ask for what Facebook calls “General Info”, which consists of your:

·         Name

·         Profile Pic

·         Friends’ Names

·         Friends’ Profile Pics

·         Gender

·         User id

·         Any “Everyone” shared content

Here's an example of the oh-so-familiar Permission prompt:

All of this data (sometimes more) is sent to these TPVs.  By the way, who the hell are these TPVs anyway?  Basically anyone that knows how to create apps/games/quizzes on the Facebook Platform.  How neat is that?

Let me paint a little scenario here.  I could create something on the Facebook Platform, call it “How [enter random hometown] are you?”, throw up 5 questions you’d answer about that hometown, and collect a bitch-load of data from all the participants from that hometown.  I could do a sweet demographic analysis, package it up, and sell the results to advertising agencies.  (Hmm…)

The point is, by subscribing to these apps/games/quizzes, we fork over untold data to unknown sources that do unknown “stuff” with your data. 

And it doesn’t stop with just your data.  When you allow a TPV in, they get your friends’ data too.  Talk about the gift that keeps on giving…to the TPV that is. 

That’s an inordinate amount of info to be utilized by thousands of TPVs…who you know nothing about, other than they create shitty apps/games/quizzes.  You can block these apps/games/quizzes, and other TPVs in your privacy settings, but if any of your friends use that crap, the TPVs already have your name and pic.  And if you currently take part in the douche-baggery that is Farmville, or Family Feud, or anything else you can find on Facebook—the creators of the software get even more of your data, and continue to have access to it every time you use their bullshit product.

Advertising

Ah, Facebook ads.  You and I have seen all kinds of advertising on our Face-pages.  Before we dissect this little tidbit, let’s see what Facebook has to say about the advertisers they’ve partnered up with:

"Sometimes the advertisers who present ads on Facebook use technological methods to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize advertising content.  You may opt-out of the placement of cookies by many of these advertisers…Facebook does not share personally identifiable information with advertisers unless we get your permission." --Facebook Privacy Policy, 4. Information You Share With Third Parties.

Whoa Facebook, so you’re saying that based on the information you collect on me, you deliver me more personalized advertisements?  I should have added that to the list of data they collect on us above. 

Except this one’s different.  This idea potentially leads to we, the user, spending money on stuff we saw on Facebook.  The list of data in the previous section may be personally invasive, but we, the user, aren’t separated from our money.  Even if Facebook sells all of our data, no money is removed from our pockets.  With advertising, that potential can be realized.  

So hey, Facebook, you give away the information we supply to advertisers in order to help said advertisers gain higher profits for their advertisements, and hence a profit for Facebook.  Did I read that right, Facebook?

"We allow advertisers to choose the characteristics of users who will see their advertisements and may use any of the non-personally identifiable attributes we have collected to select the appropriate audience for those advertisements."--Facebook Privacy Policy, 5. How We Use Your Information

It’s a good thing I paid attention in Targeted Advertising 101.  Facebook exploits the “non-identifiable” personal data you toss up on your Profile and maintains a steady supply of current data to the untold number of advertisers.  Another aspect of control you forfeit by simply existing on Facebook.  But don’t take my word for it:  take a look at your Face-page and count how many advertisements you see that you could conceivably give a shit about.  The proof’s in the profile.

Facebook:  De-friend or No? 

Facebook is many things:  it’s a vehicle to keep connected, to see what’s up in the world, and to even play online multiplayer games.  But it’s also a means for the site’s creators, various advertising agencies, and TPVs to easily obtain personal data from its users, oftentimes without the users’ knowledge.  Should we continue to use Facebook after looking at the benefits vs. the pitfalls?  It’s time to answer the title of this post.  Facebook:  De-friend, or No?  My answer?

No.

The deal is simple:  if you don’t like the rules of the playground that is Facebook, leave the damn playground.  No one is forcing you to throw data online about yourself, your status, or your likes or dislikes.  In fact, the only elements required are the four pieces of data we talked about earlier, your name, email, gender, and birthdate.  Everything else is secondary.  Remember, Facebook doesn’t require you to throw your entire life online, you do that of your own volition.  So this part’s simple, if you disagree with how Facebook treats your data, then get off your ass and delete your account. 

A few thoughts on advertisers obtaining your data.  It’s non-identifiable, meaning they get data from you, and when pieced together, they can’t find out who it belongs to.  So even though you’re matched up with advertisements based on your interests, no one outside of Facebook knows who you are.

So with regards to advertising, I say let the data collecting fly.  Advertising agencies (and Facebook for that), armed with that kind of non-identifiable data can “figure out” which demographics like what.   The implications here are astounding.  Think about it, by collecting all of this data, we (the population) can statistically show Facebook that 63% of its users use an iPod, and 87% of that population are under the age of 35.  This gets relayed to Apple, which motivates them to create newer, better iPods.   

The point is thus:  with this kind of data collecting (age, location, LIKES), the people collecting the data can use this to see what people want, and provide better products determined by demand.  To me, that puts we, the user, in the driver’s seat.  So as long as they don’t email me, or blow up my phone, I completely agree with utilizing the volunteered data in order to determine this kind of thing:  it only advances us.   

“But what about all the advertisers on my page, they use my data to perform their targeted advertising without my consent?”  Look asshat, Facebook is a webpage.  Webpages ALL OVER THE INTERNET use advertisements to stay up and running, so why should Facebook be any different?  And wouldn’t more personalized ads be preferable to seeing random ads swarming your page?  At least if it’s personalized, these ads would have a chance to show you things you may actually want.  No one’s forcing you to buy anything from these ads, just as no one’s forcing you to use Facebook, so why shouldn’t they be customized to your tastes?  I want to see shit pertaining to my interests, rather than seeing the cheapest nursing homes in the Midwest or tampon ads. 

A popular argument against this rationalization is, “Well, if they’re going to use my data for analyses, then I should see some of the profits.  After all, they’re using my data.”  To the fucksticks out there who come up with this weak shit, I ask you one thing:  How much do you pay to use Facebook?  Besides supplying data (which you do voluntarily, by the way), you pay NOTHING.  Maybe this is a fair exchange of goods (your data) for services (being able to till your shitty farm).

I can admit, the TPV information gathering deal is a little creepy.  Except for the part where I’ve been a Facebook user since 2006, and not once have I received an email or a phone call from anyone considered a TPV.  No one from the creators of Farmville have ever showed up at my door to try to sell me anything (though if they did, I’d tell them to get the hell off my farm).  I have experienced 0 harassments from any TPV or advertisers through Facebook, because they don’t have access to my phone number, address, or email (or if they do, they keep quiet about it).  So, fun games + no harassment = a content user.    

Now, this is how I weigh in on everything.  Personally, after learning more about the process, the gives and the takes, I’ll continue to utilize Facebook like I have for the past 4 years.  But if any champions out there get queasy when they think of their precious data in the hands of strangers, you can easily delete content or your entire profile.  Again, this is the deal that is Facebook, and if you don’t like it, leave.  But before you go to those extremes, I’d like to devote the last segment to the future of social networking, as I see it.

The Social Graph and the Future of Social Networking

The “Social Graph”, a term coined by Facebook’s creator Mark Zuckerberg at a f8 conference in 2007, refers to the network of connections and relationships people have on Facebook.  In Facebook's Social Graph, people are linked together when they friend one another and create even more links when they “Like” a page, comment on a picture, or perform many other actions on the social site.  But the Social Graph concept isn’t exclusive to Facebook, every social networking site has its own unique Social Graph.  Networks like Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn, to name a few.

But let's forget about the online social world for a moment, and let's talk about ourselves.  We all have social relationships with all kinds of people on this planet, be it a significant other, your professor, your coworker; anyone you interact with in this world.  If one was careful enough they could map out all of their relationships, all of their connections, slap it down on paper, and see how they fit in with the people around them.  Since most of us go out in public from time to time, and get to know many people on this earth, this would be an overly arduous task, and I submit human beings couldn't efficiently keep track of every relationship they have with everyone they have them with.  Not to mention all of their preferences, and the degrees to which they prefer them (I like hot chocolate, but I really like iced tea).  ALSO not to mention with how many of their connections they share these preferences with.  Even for the most simple-minded, being human is complex.

But with the social networking websites, Facebook in particular, we can start to see these relationships emerge "on paper".  After all, computing software designed to handle stuff like this, with access to the data, can far outdo anything I can create with poster board and a crayon.  This is the appeal of these ever-growing Social Graphs, these social networking sites.

Right now, the Facebook Social Graph is by far the largest, and probably always will be, who knows.  But with the growth we’re seeing in Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., you can bet your ass that the other Social Graphs will grow over time as well, more accurately portraying the human condition.

It's this ever-growing tendency for humans to embrace socially-evolving technologies that's leading this shift in humanity on a global scale:  a shift towards becoming connected via the online interwebs like never before.  Many businesses have reached across the seas and developed connections and relationships for the past 50 years, known as globalization, that's nothing new.  But now every-day people are able to connect in this way, revolutionizing the human condition.  

The point is this:  this is where we are today, our current era of humanity.  Social networking and having information at our fingertips has increasingly made its presence known over the past couple of years and is becoming more and more a major part of our day-to-day.  With newer generations knowing this way of life as the social norm and building off it, my fellow champions, the message is such:  this is the direction we humans are moving towards.  By not partaking in this developing social experiment, the next step, you’ll simply miss out on one of the biggest technological advancement of our times, and potentially the next era of humanity.  There will be those enthused about learning how to interact with continually improving social technology, and those who will be simply left behind.  Which will you be?