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What do you think of this! Type in someones name in a search engine and you could possibly get their phone number, address etc.
[edited by: encyclo at 1:10 am (utc) on Sep. 7, 2007]
[edit reason] added link to article [/edit]
Marshall
I don't think this is accurate. The most you'll ever get is a photo and an option to message them.
And, that info was available to anyone anyway who set up a Facebook account.
I don't see this as any great shakes unless you run a business (LinkedIn, Spock) that depends on organic search traffic from names. FB will dominate those SERPS.
Social network Facebook will soon make the listings - the name and photo - of its 40 million active members available to anyone who searches the Internet on Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. But in its pursuit of building a bigger audience, Facebook has set off privacy alarms among customers who don't necessarily want their listings to be an open book.
Some Facebook users say they are perturbed because they joined the service so they could choose whom they communicate with - and not be exposed to the Internet at large.
Privacy Fears As Facebook's 40 Million Members Become an Open Book [news.yahoo.com]
2. If you dont want it online, dont put it there
Got stopped by a market researcher one time and the guy wanted all manner of info from me eg: Name, Address, phone number etc - No way is he getting that.
What's next for Facebook and other social sites, selling contact info I've no doubt.
I can see the spam problems escalating.
I think its really poor on facebooks part to do this.
Well - maybe - but since 36 million people can already see you INSIDE facebook, the other 4 billion is a bit irrelevent isn't it?
It's a brave new world... I can see you getting into your car from space and I can see your name on the SERPS. But I USED to be able to see your phone number in the phone book AND your address, so I guess not so much change after all.
In honesty - I think you are right. This IS a mistake for Facebook and somewhat immoral not to have it "opt in" instead of "opt out". I am especially surprised that the defaul (as I found out yesteday) allowed searchers to send an email through the facebook system. Although presumably using a Catcha to prevent bots.
Im still amazed that so many people are happy to publish their private life history on the net, perhaps its just an age thing the older you get the less likely you are to want to have your private life plastered all over the internet but i certainly wouldnt want my own details on facebook and this security confirmation sort of underlines why i shouldnt.
In real terms, this move hasnt made the info much more available than it is already if you are an avid user of facebook. However, if you wanted details about say "Joe Soap" and didnt know that Joe was on facebook, in the past you wouldnt have known about it or visited the site.
Under the new arrangement you will no doubt be able to search on "Joe Soap" in one of the major search engines and find that "Joe" has a feature on facebook, which obviously would bring attention to it and you may then be more likely to visit the facebook site to read "Joe Soaps" details.
So in conclusion, this move increases the exposure of the facebook members private information to people outside of the student community or to people that the member may not appreciate visiting their site but as stated if they didnt want it viewed they shouldnt publish it in the first place.
:(
[edited by: WiseWebDude at 1:01 pm (utc) on Sep. 13, 2007]
why all the hysteria?!
I dont think people here understand that you can FULLY control what appears visible to others ... members or non members. the only thing people will be able to see from google serps is your name and profile picture.why all the hysteria?!
My thoughts exactly.
the only thing people will be able to see from google serps is your name and profile picture.
Whatever it is, there is a difference if I have to go to lot of different platforms to do specific lookups each to (re)search a person, or if I get a complete "everything and anything, and there is even more here and over there" dossier with just one google query.
And if you think about retracting your data from FB, it is too late, your data will independently survive in Google's cache for a long time (for ever?).
I don't like that and consider it a bad move of FB, which, fortunately, I am NOT a member of.
Kind regards,
R.
why all the hysteria?!
Um, I don't consider a discussion hysteria. I could see if we were standing out on the courthouse lawn holding picket signs, but we are just stating our opinions on the matter is all. All I am saying is that ever since I heard of Facebook, I have thought of it as a more private place than MySpace and the like. I wouldn't join MySpace, but have thought about joining Facebook because of their policies...they will lose that crowd now and as Vince said another can take over the helms of being host to the more discerning crowd then. I think of MySpace as a bunch of junk and people signing up to do nothing but advertise and act stupid, Facebook as a place to have a private place on the net without having to make your own site, etc. That's MHO.
opt-in
This should be clearly opt-in rather than a hidden opt out.
