In defense of Facebook

Lately the media seems to have decided it is time to pile on Facebook for its privacy issues. One of my favorite podcasters, Leo Laporte, made a big public deal of canceling his Facebook accounts. He said he was uncomfortable with their changing privacy policies and didn't want to encourage people to use Facebook.

I have to say I feel a bit betrayed by Leo on this issue. He is the guy sharing purchases on Blippy. Sharing his location on Foursquare, Latitude and other services. Sharing information willy-nilly with Google by using their products (including the Android Smart Phone). Sharing his weight. What exactly was Leo posting on Facebook that made him so uncomfortable?

I think Leo and the media have gone a bit overboard in condemning Facebook. Most users are smart enough to know what they are willing to share. And many people don't care if the world knows they have Herpes, like fetish videos, or knows a variety of details that some people would consider intensely private.

What the Facebook critics are missing is that in all likelihood people who reveal what the media consider "too much information" on services like Facebook know full well what they are doing and don't really care.

I know from the time I started using Facebook I assumed that any and all information could become public. After all, if I share the fact that I have developed a nasty case of crabs or enjoy sex in airport bathroom stalls or just ate a grilled cheese sandwich with my friends then it would stand to reason that I am aware this information could possibly travel beyond the intended audience. Facebook is just a way friends can learn about and propagate this information if I let it into the public. And quitting Facebook doesn't immunize me. I don't have to be a member of the site for someone to post crazy photos or videos of me at a bar last Saturday night.

I'm more concerned with corporations like Google watching my every browsing habit. After all, the Web sites I go to I never expect to be made instantly public for any reason. My Facebook status can be re-tweeted, screen-captured, or otherwise distributed instantly by anyone who I've chosen to "friend." To that end, I've made an effort to "spread it around." I now use Bing as my default search engine. Google email. Apple hardware. Evite for parties. Facebook for friends. Linked In for work. At least then I avoid an easy concentration of information, although this is probably effectively not doing much for my privacy.

So to Leo - you quit Facebook but advocate the use of Google products without much warning. Yet the information Google does or does not collect about me while I use their search, their phone, their new OS, and receive their ads worries me a lot more than the Facebook information I post. After all, if I post it I know it could be shared beyond my intended audience. Just as when I tell a friend something in confidence I run the risk that they may share information with others without my permission. The social world never had the control Facebook critics seem to assume it did. Granted, the information can spread farther and faster via the Internet. But that risk exists regardless of whether I belong to a site like Facebook or not.

Just asking for a reality check here to keep it real. I still love Leo. I still use Google. And I still enjoy the value provided (free of charge!) by Facebook. But I'm a bit over the overreaction on the part of the media around this subject.