Facebook Apps Possibly Leaked Personal Data (And No One Is Surprised)

seek This is an unintentional follow-up article to this one where I said that you really have to be comfortable using a Facebook app because, well, you might be literally giving away a ton of personal information you really don’t want to.

The latest from Facebook that yet again shows a gross disregard for user’s personal information is that due to a system flaw, over 100,000 apps may have been giving away said information – and a lot of it.

At this point it really doesn’t alarm anyone whenever this happens anymore. In fact for many it doesn’t even raise an eyebrow, much less shock. "Oh? Facebook leaked some of my personal info again? Old news. Whatever."

What honestly alarms me personally at this point is why it’s even news when Facebook throws any sense of data privacy out the window, because you know it’s going to happen.

This is not me throwing out a scare tactic and saying "Don’t use Facebook!" Not at all. Instead I give you what I believe to be the Golden Rule of Facebook:

Always assume nothing on Facebook is private.

Every status update you post, every bit of information on your profile, every photo and video you upload, every link you share, every ‘friend’ on your list, all of it – none of that is private. If the system states any of it is, don’t believe it.

When you treat Facebook in this manner, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable using the system.

"Oh, so if I just assume nothing is private, then that keeps me from putting stuff in there I otherwise wouldn’t want public."

Now you’re getting the idea.

Use Facebook. I do. Dave does. PCMech has its own presence there. But don’t for a second think you have any sort of privacy on that system. Use that train of thought and you’ll be far better off in the long run.

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David M
Nobody cares more about your personal information than you. Provide as little information to others as you absolutely have to. Trust nobody to keep your information confidential. There will always be those reckless, careless or stupid people who release your private information to others.
David M
Although there should be, there are no penalties for accidentally or intentionally releasing your private information to others.
Jenny
Who said that. I’m surprised. I never used those applications. Because my 2 account has been hacked. And I blamed to those apps which I used.
http://davidrisley.com David Risley
I ultimately blame the end user. People put so much stuff on Facebook, participate in stupid-ass apps all the time, then turn around and blame Facebook for everything. It is a SOCIAL network. Think about that before you put private info in there.
It gets to a point where people need to be willing to be responsible for their own stuff.

http://twitter.com/faulkner132 Jason Faulkner
To preface, as you probably know, I am not a FB user.
My thoughts are if FB has a place for you to configure “privacy” settings, they should be honored to a reasonable level without the user having to read a 15 page TOS legalese. I don’t think anyone can argue with a straight face that FB honors any of your personal data, whether it is marked (or assumed) private or not.
I get the whole “you are the product” argument and understand FB is a for profit company, but if you are going to offer “privacy” settings I believe you are obligated to reasonably honor it. It may be language semantics, but if that is the case, simply remove the word privacy and leave it as just settings.
FB has had to many oops to the point where they almost have to be intentional. They have too many bright developers for this all to be co-incidence.
It all boils down to the fact that there is no corporate responsibility in the US. If FB leaks private information, it is the users fault for putting there in the first place, even though they reasonably believed it was private. Start slapping hefty penalties on these gaffes and they will undoubtedly decrease dramatically.

Telegramsam
Facebook is free to users. They make money from from advertisers who want your data desperately. Where do you think their loyalties ultimately lie? If you think they value your privacy over their profits, you might be leading a slightly sheltered life. Don’t give FB anything you don’t want shared with everyone.
Jenny
I agreed with David M. There are some idiot who leaks my personal data I think. I had to care more on myself. I was so much hampered with the loss of my previous account. There were many important note and information.