bhonda - 10:58 am on Jun 28, 2012 (gmt 0)

The sky is falling.

Ok, I realise that this is an issue for existing users - having some kind of notification beforehand would definitely have been a good move. I'm not trying to defend Facebook here - I do think they've been on a slippery slope for quite a while now. I'm not happy about this decision either, and I don't like the fact that the majority of users won't know the implications of this until something bad happens.

However, maybe I'm just being naive here, but I highly doubt there is this big old evil plan, set up by the execs of Facebook, to defraud and manipulate the world. Sure, they are out to make money, and sure, they've probably had those awkward legal conversations, but I honestly believe that most of these bad decisions are down to incompetence rather than evil.

So yes, it is indeed right to complain about it, and stand up for rights, and privacy. But remember, in the grand scheme of things, being given a Facebook email address by default and without consent, is not the end of the world. You will survive.