Editors note: I develop these “Rant” style posts usually on the drive home from work, where I can’t ask Siri to write and post them for me. Consequently, my really good points don’t make it farther than the four doors of my trusty Camry. I’ll work on my blogging frequently and content quality if you, the reader, thinks it worthwhile for me to do so.
I finally got sick of seeing the Facebook post that starts with “PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning…” and clicked more just to read what the latest friend-inflicted spam was making its rounds on the Internet. (Does this stuff still spread via email and get copied/pasted to Facebook?)
<RANT>
First off, it’s user spam. Made prevalent by the same uninformed site users who previously brought us “New privacy settings will let your old childhood friend name your new puppy before its born” spam posts and “Quit Facebook Day” (all 33,000 of you, who most likely have rejoined since June 1, 2010).
The privacy notice is nice in theory, but since you’ve already granted the permissions you want to take back by accepting this website’s Terms of Use, how do you think you’ll get Facebook, Inc. to agree to your terms? Taking back your “private information” that you’ve already made public (under the existing Facebook terms) can only be done by deleting all of your content from the website (that you self-published) and then deleting your personal account from the website.
No wonder posting some BS privacy notice on your personal (read: PUBLIC) profile is easier than giving up Facebook for most.
</RANT>
UPDATE: Immediately after publishing, a more sensible Facebook friend posted a link to this Snopes.com article, debunking the legitimacy of this Facebook Privacy notice. #toldyouso
Pass the (Social Media) Kool Aid 