Staying Private on the New Facebook

Some interesting advice on how to configure Facebook for privacy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/t...y-on-the-new-facebook.html?src=me&ref=general

 

The best way to stay private on Facebook is to not use it at all. Facebook privacy is an oxymoron.

I don't use facebook anymore and I don't feel handicapped in anyway.

Facebook filters out key words you type in its so-called "private chats", so don't ever have any controversial conversations on facebook about terrorism, the New World Order (NWO), 9-11, Anonymous and etc. Facebook can literally monitor your private chats live.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/top-374-keywords-the-u-s-government-monitors/78417

 

Well for me Facebook's privacy isn't an issue. Everything I post is doctored to portray me in a positive light. If the government and my employer think that's the way to go about evaluating me as a individual. Who am I to correct their mistake?

 

You know it's bizarre how Facebook haters are always obsessively concerned about the privacy issue, assuming that everyone around them is constantly trying to get their dark secrets. I started this thread by simply linking to an article which advises on how to configure FB to maximize privacy. This isn't a poll about whether you like or dislike FB.

Wilders security membership is based on anonymity, about 126,000 members with some 8,000 active members, with most users ever online 1581.

Facebook membership is based on real identity (I know that some accounts are fake and counterproductive), with monthly active users of 1.06 billion, daily active users 618 million, mobile active users 680 million (results as of December 31 2012).

Looking at these figures it is obvious that the 110 Wilders members who don't use FB (see specific poll about it) for whatever reason they may have, they have no statistical value against 1.06 billion monthly active users.

Having my real identity online asks for more responsibility when posting anything on FB, and as far as I'm concerned, I have exchanged views and ideas of just about anything with my friends without ever having to fear anything.

Some people however have a very strange idea of what freedom of speech is all about: I remember for instance news of a young woman in the US who after having learned that Obama had won the elections, she wished somebody would murder him and posted her thoughts... Obviously the secret service was alarmed.

 

@Osaban

That may very well be true, but a well balanced perspective regarding Facebook's privacy and alternative uses is important for potential visitors directed here by search engines or by links in other forums. Some might actually learn something. I'd like to see a more detailed explanation as to what features you guys use on facebook and how you go about doing that responsibility. What's your rationale? Are you trying to maintain your privacy or are you worried about ending up fired or in court over something you posted?

 

My rationale if I understood your question is common sense. If I have something very private I won't post it on Facebook. I started off like most people do by posting photographs of my children, not my wife though as she didn't want to be seen.

I also don't allow anybody to check who my friends are, meaning I'm the only one allowed to see my circle of friends (one has to configure it). Most people don't bother (or they don't know) and even as a stranger most of the time you can check somebody's entourage which I think is a very private issue for me and my friends. I’m the only one allowed to read what my friends post on my wall (again it has to be configured).

Very quickly I've realized that FB is an amazing tool to share one's interests, my account is really about me, my research hobbies and work, not my family. I also should say that it allows me to remain in touch with a great deal of people simultaneously, for all sort of reasons.

About worrying being fired or sued in court, it really depends on my behaviour online: people often post photos of themselves drunk or half naked with other people, which in itself is not a crime, but if one has a position whereby a certain image of sobriety is required, it could damage their reputation.

A council employee in Italy last year posted how disgusting it was dumping the body of a murdered pregnant woman into a river, further saying that the body will pollute the river water…No respect for the poor victim. The incident created such an uproar on Facebook that he lost his good job within 24 hours of his posting. I couldn’t agree more, he deserved it.

I am myself interested in secret societies, and have often linked, posted comments about the New World Order and other provocative conspiracies theories. I have never ever felt any kind of uncomfortable feeling in doing so. On the other hand I’ve never pointed the finger at anybody specifically.

Finally I just want to say that Facebook managed to connect me with people I had lost contact more than 40 years ago, it was indeed an emotional experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and makes me feel a better person nowadays. I’m aware that accidents can happen, perhaps unintentionally or intentionally, but the social network is so incredibly popular because it makes people happy to interact with one another.

 

@Osaban

That's understandable, when I first started social network my biggest concern was not data minding, but actually defamation. Social networking made it easier for me in high school to network and step outside my comfort zone, but it also allowed people to post misinformation and embarrassing photos. Luckily I learned this lesson early enough that by the time Facebook rolled out I matured a great deal.

Generally, my friends and I commit to posting to our fake profiles on a regular basis. We only post photos taken outside our homes, places of work, etc. I read an article a couple years back about such photos being used by thieves to scope out homes, as well as, a court case where the judge used items in the pictures during a divorce settlement. Other then that we generally like pages (restaurants, businesses, etc.), applications (LinkedIn, Monster), and travel destinations that we like. I tend to view this activity as positive data mining because it benefits places I would like to keep in business. I honestly can't say I use the chat feature all that much. Most of my friends are grandfathered in on their unlimited data plans. So we text on our phones more than we message on Facebook.