a rant on Facebook

It's a topic long due and in dire need of some attention, and a rant.

an abrupt and brief introduction

Once more Facebook has managed to grab whatever it sees fit. Admittedly i've yet to read the "new" user-license agreement but i'm fed up with how they handle OUR data.I'm curious how their claims to the content we upload to Facebook will hold in international courtrooms ( updated below .

If i remember well, this is not backed by any proven knowledge, there are major differences between how IP and ownership are defined and enforced. In this particular case between the E.U. and the U.S.A. The example i believe to remember correctly is illustrated below.

In the E.U. people still adhere to natural laws where the message ( e-mail ) sent remains in the ownership of the sender, whereas in the U.S.A. other laws apply where the recipient becomes owner of the e-mail received.

I've banged my head a few times but i cannot excuse this line of thought in any way. These laws on either side seem quite particular on both sides. I've given it some thought back in the days i was asked to do some superficial research. Enough of hyperbole and suggestions, I'm no lawyer and have not ambition to be a spin-doctor for one or other surreal discussion. Back to Facebook.

what on earth or you on about dude ...

Basically, identity theft.

Despite many efforts Facebook has had security issues which are not benign. There have been accounts hacked and the Facebook infrastructure itself has been compromised. Accounts contain private details such as an address, e-mail, phone number, a map of your social network, at times, even credit card information.

This kind of service is not the type one expects a one-way trust relationship from. It should be like we share ( we should not give ), Facebook protects, that simple. Instead they claim and resell.

Facebook is not only demanding people to grow a sense of online presence awareness. It also indirectly demands users to grow an understanding of legal implications of Information Economics where many lawyers are oblivious too.

As such Facebook is demanding a large group of people to make decisions and considerations i do not see them ( or myself ) fit to make based on the little knowledge most people ( including many lawyers ) have on the topic at hand.

the void and oblivion

Basically Facebook is exploiting this ignorance and the gaping divide present in our society. The divide between the people aware of the challenges posed by the Information Age, and those who do not. Obviously ( or sadly ) there are many many people on one side of the divide.

As an indication for the obliviousness we're living in. Ample to no tools exist to manage your content on Facebook. After a short investigation I consider to start writing my own, it seems far from impossible to do so.

In effect, I've not found any tool which offers a more subtle form of control but to delete everything or delete everything in a given time-frame. This deepens my worry we're are in a collective thought-void. Some people obviously care for demonstrating their disdain or discomfort, thus far though no tool has surfaced which offers functional control over one's Facebook content.

[ note ] in some crooked way one could argue Facebook is serving as a leverage to grow awareness on the risks of poorly managed public Information Security, oh yeah.

so eh ?

To me this is indication for a most disturbing trend, we are not gaining in our awareness of what Information Security we should enforce on social media. We're loosing control.

Given the current state ( or lack ) of Information Security capabilities and successful criminal actions against large organisations one cannot but conclude the " No privacy" mentality is not a paradigm shift, it is lunacy. The social and economical impact of possible mishaps is a force to be reckoned with and little has been done thus far.

[ update ] it seems even in the E.U. the legality of the new E.U.L.A. is indisputable since most countries accept Facebook as an E.U. company since it has a stronghold in Ireland. Seriously, such is not an indication of wise men making laws.