Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/07/08/facebook_graph_search_privacy_nightmare_is_preventable_if_you_change_your.html
All of Facebook's 1.11 billion users will soon have access to the long awaited Graph Search. For the past six months, a select group of users have had the opportunity to test the site's much publicized and hyped feature. For those unaware, Facebook has been constantly testing and experimenting with a new search feature (Graph Search) that will index everyone's public posts and ultimately make it easy for anyone to find them. With a few clicks, it becomes easy to find old posts, pictures, or comments that were made years ago. This new feature, along with all the other new things Facebook does, was met with resistance and contempt from its users, who denied the need for a search option that they've labeled as a "privacy nightmare". And I get it. I, like them, most likely have ugly and embarrassing posts and photos that I'd rather not let see the light of day. To suddenly be faced with the daunting task of trying to hide them all from the prying eyes of friends and relatives greatly irks me. I don't think Facebook really understands that all of its users regret posting at least half of the things that have graced their public profiles. And yet, Facebook believes its some kind of museum and insists on being the type of museum that has free admission and lets just about anyone in to peruse and scrutinize all of the exhibits. It surprises me that Facebook came to the conclusion that the new Graph Search was called for, when really, pretty much anything the company does is challenged and opposed by the majority of its users. Perhaps it's because I can't really get over all of the horrific and embarrassing pictures that I'll have to delete or hide, but I truly believe that a large majority of users will have little use or love for the new feature. Posts that had meant to be hidden will soon be available for easy public viewing. And while I'll be among the horde of teenagers that are ridiculed for 6th grade statuses, I'll realize that it's about more than a few minutes of embarrassment and shame. Ultimately, it comes down to Facebook's respect for its users privacy and peace of mind, two things that it can no longer ensure with the arrival of Graph Search.
Privacy issues and Facebook really seem a perennial issue! If memory serves, every major change that Facebook has attempted has been met with opposition. That being said, the brouhaha always seem to quiet down and disappear after a while. Why is that? Do we simply become resigned to the sovereignty of Facebook developers, or is it that the news agencies simply choose to focus on other matters (thus giving us the impression that the issue no longer matters)? A better question might be why we continue to use Facebook if we are so concerned about privacy. Certainly using Facebook is voluntary...right? In any event, I'm curious as to what sort of action on the part of the Facebook developers will make you (or anyone else) decide to forgo using Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your post and invite you to continue in this vein.
I agree with Darryl that people should think about why they continue to use Facebook despite their concerns about privacy. If the issue becomes too much of a problem, people should simply stop using Facebook. I think a lot of people continue to use Facebook because they are addicted to it. I heard about people spending hours on Facebook. I really do not understand why. I never had a Facebook account, and my life is okay without it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Nathan and Darryl on the idea of the continuation of use of Facebook with all the backlash the corporation receives with each new update. Like Bryan, I have horrific and embarrassing pictures that I hope will not see the light of day. With privacy as a major issue for the corporation, I wonder how Facebook will continue to prosper with many people deleting their accounts and blatantly opposing its new updates. I can also understand why many will be deleting their Facebook accounts after this update because graph search may feel like an intrusion of privacy.
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