Anti-Facebook part II

Last time I wrote about QuitFacebookDay. I also found another anti Facebook site, which is not so radical but it is still against Facebook and is concerned about privacy settings. This site is Facebook Protest and is making the 6th June day of the protest. As they are writing:

"On June 6th we are asking those who disagree with the changes Facebook has made to its “privacy” policies to commit to not logging in or interacting with Facebook in any way. Be sure to log out of Facebook in all of your browsers no later than the evening of June 5th. On the 6th, be sure to not use Facebook connect or click any “Like” buttons: basically refrain from ALL Facebook related activity."

This action is connected to Zuckerberg's statement that he does not believe in privacy. He is explaining this with the changed perception of privacy and continues to change privacy terms. On Facebook Protest site visitors can also found a lot of useful articles about changing privacy conditions. Like the one on Wired.com, which is writing about Facebook colonization of web:

"It’s an ambitious attempt to rewrite the web as a socially linked network. But many see Facebook’s move as trying to colonize the rest of the web, and keep all this valuable information in its data silos, in order to become a force on the web that rivals Google."

I think that this is very important point, because Facebook is no longer just the identity site. It has become so much more not just for users but also for companies and after all researchers. It is social phenomenon and now is trying to go beyond itself. For example you already can share articles or Youtube videos on Facebook and if really "like" button will be on anything from blog entries to T-shirts in web stores, then the main question should be asked. Did perception of people's privacy changed so much that they not realize and does not care what information they share? And will Facebook ever be unpopular?

Recording to more and more concerned articles, bloggers, Twitter users, anti-Facebook sites and all in all Facebook groups, Facebook owners should be concerned too. Yes, perception of privacy has changed but this does not mean that privacy should not be respected and exploited. It should be even more secured and people should be warned where and in what kind their personal information can be used.

Anti-Facebook part I

I believe almost everyone who reads this blog has Facebook account. But did anybody tried to delete it? It is not that simple as it looks on the first sight. Well, you can delete your account but this is not the first choice that Facebook is suggesting. Firstly you can just deactivate account and that means that everything that you put on Facebook will stay there and it will be accessible for almost everyone. And because of this kind of concerns about privacy I found anti-Facebook group.

The first one is QuitFacebookDay and they have almost 8000 Committed Facebook Quitters. On May 31st they will all quit Facebook and the main reasons for doing so are concerns about privacy and uses of personal data. They also believe that Facebook can be addictive as they write:

"Quitting Facebook isn't easy. Facebook is engaging, enjoyable and quite frankly, addictive. Quitting something like Facebook is like quitting smoking. It's hard to stay on the wagon long enough to actually change your habits. Having peer support helps, but the way to quit Facebook is not to start a group on Facebook about leaving Facebook."

Well I can agree with some of their statements and articles they are citing (very interesting are the instructions for permanently deleting your Facebook account: http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account), but comparing use of Facebook to smoking is just funny. I believe that it is not fair to be so technological deterministic and say it is all Facebook fault. People should be aware that web is open and public space. These are the characteristics that make web so unique and useful. Like every user can access almost every information (from news to government data) it is logical that this kind of exploitation will also be from the other side. And it is naive to think that it is just Facebook who uses personal information for advertisers and companies. Every time we open web browser our personal data, our search words and information about us are stored somewhere and can be used.

However Facebook is open network and should have some respect to their users. Users are those who are keeping Facebook so popular and favored between advertisers. And if Facebook will loose its users because of changing privacy rules, there will be no more Facebook. This is what Zuckenberg and others should think about and also take in account when they are changing conditions of use they should think about users and their wishes. Will you quit Facebook on 31st May?

Cloud computing

For new post I wanted to write something about privacy on internet. But when I was searching for material I run into this website: Privacy Rights. Although is American it has some really interesting documents on privacy in new media context. When I was checking their website I run to really interesting concept. Cloud computing.

"In general terms, it’s the idea that your computer’s applications run somewhere on the “cloud”, that is to say, on someone else’s server accessed via the Internet. Instead of running program applications or storing data on your own computer, these functions are performed at remote servers which are connected to your computer through the Internet or other connections." (source: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm#cloudcomputing)

For every day use cloud computing is very handy and for business companies is really money and time saver. For example very known cloud computing service is Gmail or Picassa from Google. But the main question for me is in this context risk of this kind of services for regular user. When the user puts their data on cloud site he or she does not have anymore control on this data. The security of data fall on to cloud provider. Some examples what can happen with your data (everything from: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm#cloudcomputing):

"Government investigators or civil litigants trying to subpoena information could approach the hosting company without informing the data's owners. The hosting company generally does not have the same motivation as the user to defend against disclosure of the information."

"Some companies could even willingly share sensitive data with marketing firms. So there is a privacy risk in putting your data in someone else's hands. Obviously, the safest approach is to maintain your data under your own control."

And the main problem here is that technology is so much more ahead then the law. This problem has two relevant things to think about. First is the ease with which we use computers and internet. So cloud computing can be rally the good guy. But on the other hand what about our data? How we can secure them and why we are not worried about them. In my opinion today cloud computing is somewhere between good and bad. I think that really is a good guy but only if users know how to use it and be aware of it's rights.

What do you think? Is cloud computing the bad or the good guy?

I am mayor of 4sq

Last week I found a new application (or I do not know how to name it) called Foursquare. It is "a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things. We aim to build things to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but that encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways." It is mobile application and through mobile phone you are checking-in on different places. You can also write tips (like bacon in xy restaurant is very good) or can collect badges (you become mayor of certain place, when you check-in more then anyone). You also collect points (for which is not yet known how to use them in real world) and it is interesting that some companies (like coffee shops or restaurants) are offering for example free coffee for those who become mayors of this place. So this application can be personal or can be another tool for different companies for making promotion. Oh and did I mention it is also compatible with Twitter and Facebook?

Of course this kind of application raises many different questions. Mostly questions about privacy and personal data. Maybe for some people this kind of real-life/on-line game is intriguing and funny to play but for me is a whole leap for making our real lives more and more compatible with on-line. Why would you share information where are you with everyone (well with your friends but if you share this also on Facebook and Twitter this "friends" become more loose concept)? Location is very sensitive personal data and should not be shared with everyone. So I think that 4sq is just another application which is pushing the limits of our real life. And also it is interesting that concept of gaming which is traditionally connected with online world and identity is becoming more in more interwoven with real life. If we think that Second World was new and controversial, 4sq is even more because of our personal data and security.

If you're not on Facebook then you don't exist?

Today I read an interesting article about Facebook (you can find it here and in Slovene here) which is called In the world of Facebook (well actually is interesting review of two books).

First the article is describing to-us-all known beginnings of Facebook in 2004 but what I didn't know and was new to me, is the exclusivity of it and starting elitism of it. Yes I knew that primary it was intended to Harvard students but I never thought off that kind of exclusivity the author is describing, that major attraction of the early Facebook came from its snob appeal and its high selectivity. Bourdieu was somehow right with his aesthetic gaze and class although I didn't think that also new technologies can become so stratificated and under that influence. Author is also comparing Facebook with Myspace, because the idea for both is somehow the same (social networking) so the question is, why is Facebook so special? Author is suggesting that Facebook was connected with education and higer class, when Myspace was connected with working class. Also pages of Myspace were more connected with popular culture and were more urban, while Facebook was more aesthetic and was like planned community in suburb.

Author is raising some interesting questions also regarding to privacy, politics, advertising and communication on Facebook. But for me most interesting is idea of "second internet" and Facebook connect function. It is somehow interesting and also intimidating that all your personal information and also all your clicks on internet are noted in huge database and you do not know who sees yours information and who is using and paying for them. This metaphor of "second internet" is really well-placed because all our data and information are in other "virtual world," which is not known to us. I think that debate around privacy on Facebook (and also internet) will be very relevant in future but users should know that like real communities also virtual communities has risk that everybody will know everything about you. Facebook is special in its functions and its consequences on every-day life, but the question remains, it is really indicator of our online existence.

If you're not in group of people in real life, that does not mean that you don't exist, but if you're not on Facebook that just mean that you can relatively safely use internet without being considered who has your information - and yes, you still exist. :)