1984 writer, George Orwell, turned over in his grave when he found out that people were voluntarily submitting information to Big Brother, or rather Facebook.The social networking site makes it plain and obvious to anyone who bothers to read their privacy statement, that, in essence, there is no privacy to speak of. Furthermore, Facebook declares it plans to sell this information to marketers.
While it may seem fun to let all your high school buddies know what your up to by posting your profile online (ie: where you live, who your dating, you political affiliation, your sexual preference, your favorite music, recreational activities), Facebook is nonetheless an advertiser's wet dream. With the information provided freely by users, it becomes possible to target very specific market segments.
People tell Facebook who they know, where they met them, what was the nature of their relationship, etc. The site then sends email invitations to all their contacts inviting them to join the excitement.
This seems like a total reversal of recent fears about the Internet. What happened to all the people worried about identity theft or about giving out personal information online? It appears most have hopped on the bandwagon and joined the open movement that is becoming the Internet.
Strangely enough though, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is pretty shy when it comes to his own information. He doesn't even post his picture. Makes me wonder... oh, someone just wrote on my wall. Gotta go.
