TOS: Facebook owns you. Get over it. Here's how.........Part 2

Previously on "My $0.02"............TOS: Facebook owns you. Get over it. Here's how.

ADDENDA!!! - 04/14/10

So here's a shocker, over a year to the date I originally wrote this, facebook has a whole new interface, look at navigation. YAAAAAAY....pay attention, they took away more rights.

Have you noticed that you're getting more random solicited friend requests and msgs from strangers, stalkers and ex's you've been trying to avoid? Are all the ppl you've tactically blocked finding you? Well, Mr. Zuckerburg and co., who are admitted huge fans of Twitter (insert frowny face emoticon) did away with many of your our privacy settings YET AGAIN. Gee......what a shocker....this is outrageousssss [insert uproar].

Sidenote: Why do I have a feeling that Twitter will bring about the fall of
mankind?

Well have we been violated? Well yeah, if you haven't read TOS: Facebook owns you. Get over it. Here's how. and applied those simple tips to safeguarding your information. For additional not-be-a-moronomics, also revisit: PSA: "Facebook/myspace/twitter/Blackplanet ruined my relationship." However, since the playing field has changed, we must now adapt. Here are a few more pointers that can help safeguard your privacy. Please, feel free to add any that you may have discovered.

Sidenote: The real question or rather commentary to ponder on your way home is, if you decided to make a public personal page on the World Wide Web (www.) then why in Lou Farrigno, are you so concerned about privacy, but I'm not going to be a jerk to point fingers and ask questions. I'm just saying. Personal accountability ppl.

-PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take the year out of your birthday! I know I mentioned taking all biographical information out of your page, but for those reading for the first time (and the hard headed alike) along with your other info....which we encouraged you to take out, this is the last piece of the puzzle for your friendly neighborhood identity thief.

-Re-visit your privacy settings. A lot of them are still there, but have somehow, mystically been set to "public." Most of them are just a click away.

-Limited profile. I don't think ppl utilize this feature nearly enough. Some ppl, you just need their contact, but they don't need an all access backstage pass.

-Disable tagged pics. I did this for a project that was under great scrutiny.......but now that the project is over, I think I'll leave it the way it is. I think my photo albums and profile pics are more than enough for someone to identify me.

-Toggle your photo settings. I recently found out that a lot of my albums were reset to public, when a friend told me how her friend spent some time going through my photo albums. Make sure they're all set to "friends only."

-Stop linking accounts. I'm very wary about anything that requires putting a screenname and password from another account. Whats the point of a pseudonym or an avatar if it's linked to your biographical info? Is anonymity the modern duck-billed platypus?

-Disable your wall. What better way to keep raggedy comments off your wall, then to not have a wall? I see more and more ppl doing this..........or maybe they just put me on "limited profile" :-S

If worse comes to worse, I supposed you can delete ppl. I've clicked on contacts before only to find that we were no longer contacts anymore. No fall out or disconnect, they just decided our one or two interactions were not enough to bless me with the honor of their facebook page. Can't blame em. But once again, the greater question is, what are you so afraid of revealing? Are you a douche who goes through great painstaking lengths to conceal it? Hell, if a fugitive can evade authorities while updating his facebook page AND build a fan page with over 10,000 followers, what are YOU worried about simple person?

REF:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/12/23/uk.fugitive.facebook.prison/index.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-fugitive-taunts-police-while-on-the-run-20091229-lhyn.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10434345-71.html

Sidenote: He probably got caught by signing up to Twitter.
Sidernote: My friend and I have a number of theories where he may be hiding. Remind me to share.

TOS: Facebook owns you. Get over it. Here's how.

Recent uproar has soared through the news, Internet and all other forms of media about a recent change in Facebooks Terms of Service agreement. For those of you who don't like to be bogged down with esoteric terms and legal jargon mumbo jumbo, its that loooooooooong notice that comes up before you sign up for an online service or install software, which you are supposed to read but instead, scroll to the bottom,click "yes".....and in doing so, legally state that you actually did read it.

Useful Reading:
Uproar about FB's TOS "Facebook's terms of service (TOS) used to say that when you closed an account on their network, any rights they claimed to the original content you uploaded would expire. Not anymore."

"What does arbitration mean?"

Mark Zuckerberg's response

Now there are a number of reasons why I am not concerned, but to mention a few:

By definition, an agreement is a decision made in concert btwn 2 or more parties on a series of terms...........ok so maybe that's just my definition but I typed this on my blackberry one night btwn rem cycles when I couldnt sleep. LEMMELONE!! Facebook and sites like it are mutually beneficial. A virtual database to serve as an addressbook for every possible social network you've ever been a part of with 1 click access to 1000's of ppl?? How much would it cost you to build and maintain a website that does half of what it does? I hope Algorhythm or any other experts can chime in here. And how many different sites would you need? Example. A friend of mine writes and draws a comic strip called "Justus" . And by me promoting his facebook group, in the last few months he's gained about 400+ new subscribers who recieve his updates/subscription to new comics.

Well since we're screwed, here's how you COULD HAVE saved your privacy and moving fwd.....I say could have bc you most likely have done most if not all of the following already:

sidenote: I absolutely refused to sign up for twitter and lattitude as soon as I heard about them.

-The cliche mantra, as old as time, "READ THE FINE PRINT." I hope you finally learned this. In the information age, we are long pass the era of "ignorance is bliss"....its actually quite lethal. You can plead a lot of things in court but ignorance is not one of em.
-Learn the meaning of the term "ARBITRATION." Too much to get into on that topic but I gave you a fine article on arbitration you should read....and more importantly understand.
-If you don't want anyone to know, don't post it!!!! The people who actually need to worry about this bc they're doing the shit the govt wants to track are smart enough not to have fb accounts. You think al queda or the mob operate on fb? Don't nobody in NSA, TSA, ATF, CIA, FBI, NORAT, LMNOP or da WEST SIIIIIIIIIIIDE give a fuck about who tagged you in their spring break southbeach album.

Sidenote: I figured out years ago the only way to keep a secret....IS NOT TO TELL ANYONE! For the hard hearing, that was "ANYONE." Everyone has at least 1-5 people they can trust to tell things and won't repeat it......except to THEIR 1-5 people they can trust to tell things and won't repeat it and they may have a totally different wheel of morality and ethics than you two do, but we digress.

-Please don't link accounts. "Hey use this finder thingy to find your friends in your email address book who's on fb!" "Link it to your im or email account". Okay! GREAT IDEA.......... Let's completely forget that fb is still a complete stranger who you just willingly gave away YOUR FRICKEN EMAIL SCREENNAME AND PASSWORDS TO!??? You think they deleted it???

Sidenote: the amount of ppl who use the exact same screen name for multiple accounts, including bank and credit info is scary....exact same password, even scarier.

Sidernote: Apparently Karen Phillips likes the new format of the "sidenotes"..........but wont leave a fricken comment IN the blog

Side side sidenote: Screw spell check!! I will stand my ground and spell "sidenote" as one word. I lost respect for this bastard language after 2005 when "bootylicious" got inducted into the dictionary.

-Don't install mobile aps. Hmmmm let's think. A website that tracks data and stats and imma install its software on my mobile phone device thingy? I don't see the point, you can go on fb from your smart phones web browser anyway. Why do I need an application? Which leads to my next point.....
-Stop adding applications. Aps were cool the first few times enticingly luring me in with things I like but the agreement just kept raising my eyebrow. Your basically given additional third parties (that is a company outside of facebook) the rights to use all your fb info. This is why I don't get the outcry, this has been right in our face all this time. Read bitches!!! READ!!!

sidenote: I considered hyperlinking the "read a book" video however, although I agree with its satirical message, I do not in no way shape or form condone the use of the "n" word whatsoever.......but so far Boondocks gets my only "pass" card.

-CC INFO?? I hope to God that you did not put in your credit card info into fb so you can buy stupid "gifts" or pay for "premium" superpokes ::shakes head::
-Don't get specific. Why are you posting your physical address to a virtual?
-Leave the important stuff vague. Basically the stuff that you can't find on any public record. For example, look at my "info," always was and will be
Employer: "one of those firms"
Political position "lesser of two evils"
Religion: "trust in God, but lock your car door"
Relationship status....NOT POSTED and will never be posted ever again (talk about unneccesary drama in the ex-files)

sidenote: what the EFF is "complicated" other than a conversation starter and a reason for ppl to bother and ask "what's so complicated?" REALLY!?

sidernote: My ex-coworker Tiffany (God bless her, I heart her so) could not understand why I had all my co-workers on limited profile....

There are ppl who've know about this for years. A friend of mine Nazinimod, poet/designer, told me years ago that he won't post pics of his clothing line on myspace bc their TOS basically said the same thing that you forfeit or rather consent some ownership of anything you post to myspace. Hence why I post my blogsite LINK in my status and not the actual blog through rss feeds so it appears as notes. Blogs are copyright protected to SOME extent but posting it through the fb application absolves, basically null, void and yields that to guess who? Besides, all the comments go on fb, not here :(

sidenote: Thank you all for your continued patronage, praise and compliments but is there some technical difficulties as to why the frick you don't leave your comments HERE and not on fb, gchat, aim or txt msgs?? I'm such a comment whore (hangs head low)

In conclusion, to all you ppl who say my blogs are too long, think about how much software you've installed and downloaded that had a TOS that you just scrolled to the bottom and clicked "agree" and didn't read bc they were "too longl?" I've been installing computer software for years and all TOS say the same give or take a few articles, clauses and esoteric rhetoric. Specifically (paraphrasing):

"...you also agree that we have and or can exercise the expressed written right and or privilege to can and or will change this TOS at any given point and or time in juncture with and or without notification......and or."

I'm no lawyer, but basically that sounds like your telling me to agree to an agreement and or contract that you can change whenever and or however you feel and I have no power to fight? AND OR?? Oh yeah, I'm really going to put the coordinates to my secret volcano lair on this web site MUAH HA HA HA HA!!!!

Relax, even if there really is this big brother element that you're so deathly afraid of knowing all about you, chances are they prolly already do :)

ADDENDA!!!!

Another eyebrow raiser. FAMILY APPLICATIONS???? Why the hell are you calling out, listing and identifying all your family members on fb? We called that tattling or snitching. Don't wrap me up in third parties bc you're push button crazy!