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RSS icon Comments on Orwellian Future Here Now Alert

1

I've been hearing about this, andyes it sounds bad, but maybe you can explain to me the part that I don't get-- how does facebook KNOW when you buy something? They don't have your credit card info or anything.

Do they track your email address? Like, if your facebook and amazon are under the same email address, will facebook know what you buy from amazon? Can you stop this whole thing by just using one email for facebook and another for everything else?

Posted by Hmmmm | November 20, 2007 7:45 PM
2

Puh-lease.

Posted by w7ngman | November 20, 2007 8:17 PM
3

Yeah, your boss might fire you if he finds out the Nazi propaganda you're posting on FaceBook. That's what pseudonyms are for.

Posted by Sirkowski | November 20, 2007 8:53 PM
4

This is sort of a bullshit story and your summary at the end is almost entirely inaccurate as is the post at Americablog.

More here.

I'll admit, it's confusing, but not nearly as sinister as you claim.

Posted by Ryan | November 20, 2007 8:58 PM
5

God now everyone will know how many time's I've seen Glitter.

Posted by Joh | November 20, 2007 9:02 PM
6

Well, hell, let me try that again:

More here.

Posted by Ryan | November 20, 2007 9:05 PM
7

And for those who don't want to read that entire Metafilter thread to get to the truth, you have to opt in for Facebook to publish your purchases. Americablog is completely whacked out with their claims that you're automatically opted in and you have to go to each consumer website to opt out. That's patently false.

So, as long as you don't manually link your Amazon account to your Facebook account, you're good.

Posted by Ryan | November 20, 2007 9:12 PM
8

Adults use Facebook?

Posted by Peter | November 20, 2007 10:17 PM
9

Go ahead and keep using Facebook and MySpace. The rest of us only benefit from your stupidity.

Posted by wbrproductions | November 20, 2007 10:22 PM
10

So it's like as a Safeway Club Card? Somebody is offering you a couple discounts in exchange for the chance to send you personalized junk mail.

Scary shit man.

Posted by elenchos | November 20, 2007 10:30 PM
11

You know, at least you can use the internet to defend against some of the information that does get collected about you that you don't have any control over.

Posted by Packratt | November 20, 2007 10:46 PM
12

Oh Chicago Fan, you old people can be so silly sometimes... As for the rest of you, if you've actually put yourself on Myspace (unlike the author, who speaks of things he does not know) then I would hope you've had the foresight to set your profile to "private". It does wonders for keeping things like Google and future (or in my case, current) employers from reaching you. Of course if you're an attention whore who accepts every friend invitation that comes your way, this will do you no good- but those people never really wanted privacy to begin with.

Now if we could all accept that social networking sites are here to stay, and create one not run by either big brother or Rupert Murdoch, I'd be a happy man.

Posted by Young Wipper Snapper | November 21, 2007 12:30 AM
13

There is so much to be paranoid about with the current government and business apparatus, that this fake story about Facebook collecting data is total moronity.

Posted by Para Noid | November 21, 2007 12:39 AM
14

Maybe they do it by implanting a virus on your computer
http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/dontadd.asp

Posted by serious | November 21, 2007 12:45 AM
15

I'm fucked.

Posted by BFD | November 21, 2007 4:33 AM
16

Um, if you don't like what a website like Facebook is doing, you can always, you know, cancel your fucking account.

Posted by giffy | November 21, 2007 6:49 AM
17

Our friends at Yahoo have discovered a fossil of Grendel's Mother. They've used the latest tech advancement, Holomoophpetizering, to recreate an intimate scene between the son and mom.
I still think gazing for hours at bugs in the dirt is a cooler thing to do, even indoors.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071121/ap_on_sc/biggest_bug_ever

Posted by G.S. Troop Local 846 | November 21, 2007 7:18 AM
18

Once again, Slog hasn't been updated in over 12 hours. It's not Thanksgiving yet.

Posted by S. M. | November 21, 2007 7:45 AM
19

This is why I use cash.

Except on Friday this week, which is Buy Nothing Day.

Posted by Will in Seattle | November 21, 2007 11:15 AM
20

@8 - yes. There's even an I Was Born In The 50's facebook group.

Just like there's a We Are Green Seattle facebook group for people who use the I Am Green facebook app.

Posted by Will in Seattle | November 21, 2007 11:25 AM
21

My stepson's all pissed off about the Facebook thing. He bought his girlfriend a present, one he'd looked for for a long time, not realizing that he'd done the whole linking-of-accounts thing (he's not all that computer savvy, but in his defense, they did present that as a good idea for convenience' sake). His girlfriend now knows what she's getting for Xmas, and he's beside himself, because he can't afford to buy her something different.

It's an opt-in, yeah, but I don't think they exactly made it really clear to the users what they're opting in for. Most blow by it in spouse-mode, just hitting Accept Accept Accept, just like most people do with a EULA. It's disingenuous for Facebook to claim that the users opted in. They know perfectly well most users aren't reading the fine print.

Posted by Geni | November 21, 2007 2:14 PM
22

See, it was just harmless fun when your boss finds pictures of you in a fairy dress, but now 'tis evil.
Gee, who in my generation knew you should be careful when buying things online? NO WAY. (By the by I'm 22...) I mean come on people, use your heads about things occassionally...

Posted by Marty | November 21, 2007 3:56 PM
23

@21 Do you know where exactly those hidden opt in buttons are? I've been using facebook and I havent' seen anything asking me to link accounts.

Posted by Hmmmm | November 21, 2007 10:13 PM
24

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25

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