Facebook Users Voting On Privacy, Instagram, Other Issues 80
Nerval's Lobster writes "Facebook is letting users vote on changes to its Data Use Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (Facebook users can vote via this link). The company will also host a live Webcast to answer questions at 9:30 AM PST. One section of Facebook's revamped policies insists that the network can share information with its family of companies. This apparently applies to Instagram, the photo-sharing service acquired by Facebook earlier this year. Under the terms of the provision, Facebook can store 'Instagram's server logs and administrative records in a way that is more efficient than maintaining totally separate storage systems.' Facebook is also clarifying its language surrounding affiliates, as well. As long as Facebook continues to exist in its current form, these debates over its privacy rules will almost certainly continue to crop up on a semi-regular basis. The challenge for Facebook executives is how to best maintain that delicate dance between their need for revenue, advertising firms' desire for effective marketing campaigns, and users' rights to privacy. They run a corporation — but at moments, it also starts to resemble a messy democracy."
Re:Voting Schmoting (Score:2, Insightful)
Fuck your smarmy attitude. It's a website, either use it or don't use it. Nobody's forcing you to do either, so don't make such a big deal about it.
Options (Score:5, Insightful)
"They run a corporation â" but at moments, it also starts to resemble a messy democracy."
At first, I was going to roll my eyes (as if the submitter actually implied that this gesture resembled democracy in reality in any way), but then I reliased what a genius comment this was.
Of course it resembles a messy democracy: it's a meaningless facade presented by a corporation.
Re:Not a Democracy (Score:2, Insightful)
In Facebook's business model, you are the product, not the customer.
And a perfectly legitimate response to that statement is - WHO CARES?
It's just a newish business model - OTA television has used a similar (but less interactive) model for decades... advertisers pay for your eyeballs (and offer up prayers that you are watching live instead of a recording...)
It's not automatically evil in any way.
But that doesn't change the fact that the statement 'you're the product not the customer' is relatively accurate. It's not a complete summation of the business model, of course - but that doesn't make the statement false.
Now that you've thrown your hissy fit about someone daring to criticize the religion of Social Media and it's high priest Zuck, we can get back to actual discussion WITHOUT you.
Re:Actually, it is a big deal, in the long run. (Score:5, Insightful)
Facebook isn't just a "website". It's size and reach are helping define what people expect of privacy. I have not ever had a Facebook account, yet I fully expect my future expectations of privacy to hinge on what the masses accept on Facebook. If Facebook sticks around and sets trends and expectations for years to come, what happens there matters. If millions of Americans grant access to something I might consider private, the government may stop defining that thing with a reasonable expectation of privacy. Even if *I* never granted that access.
So, while smarmy isn't productive, some sort of attitude is relevant here. Maybe attitude is what's necessary to get people thinking about what's at stake?