Proof Facebook is a Privacy Nightmare

Chances are good that you (1) use Facebook and (2) have no idea what the new Facebook Open-Graph API is all about. It’s basically a behind-the-scenes way for Facebook to share your personal information with the entire world; the sharing is default, although you can opt out, which isn’t an easy task. Want to know whether Facebook is telling the entire world that you like Fruity Pebbles cereal? Ka-Ping Yee created a tool which allows you to find out what any Facebook user is sharing.  You can find it here: http://zesty.ca/facebook/. All you have to do is type in a Facebook ID or user name and it does the rest. It can report a user’s real name, birth date, location, “Likes” (formerly pages you were a “fan” of), photos, etc. This begs the question, “where exactly did we sign up for this shit?”

That’s the question being asked by many, including many of the top Googler celebrities who have deactivated their Facebook accounts. Four Senators have sent a letter to Facebook complaining about this issue. (Perhaps they didn’t use the word “shit” but, anyways…) Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has spearheaded this effort and even lobbed a complaint in with the Federal Trade Commission.

I have been contemplating suspending my Facebook account but ultimately decided against it. I just won’t “Like” anything and I will monitor my information to make sure that it doesn’t get shared with the public (again). The real solution: A turn-this-shit-off-forever button. I’d “Like” that.

[via GigaOM]

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