I partially agree- but not wholly. To whit: most people I know only send check via mail for the very reason they are aware they can’t trust the postal service to guarantee cash in an envelope will arrive with the recipient. Likewise, if you give your information to one of those mall drawings for a free boat, or a car dealership that you know makes their money by selling or trading information- you can’t rightky be surprised to suddenly get spam. When so many apps and websites push to get you to log in using Facebook- you have to ask why? Are they really so eager to maximize your convenience by using Facebook api over having you log in to their server with credentials? And if convenience is the game, why do they often not give an alternative- meaning if you didn’t have fb you’d still need to set up an account? A website designed for sharing your personal information that makes money selling information and there’s surprise that information was sold?
I liked how one person explained this issue (I didn't catch their name) the way the customer agreement was worded the average user would require an advanced law degree to decipher it, and even then some of the settings are either impossible to opt out or even if they did there is still tracking and collection occurring. The facebook app itself can track your location with gps accuracy (or at least IP address accuracy) regardless of how the user feels about this. The gps can be disabled in android phones but it still tracks you.
It’s easy enough to debunk the legalese argument. If you wanted to trade for my lap top and I said I’d give it to you and just take anything of yours I felt like later, you would probably say no and want to know what you were agreeing to wouldn’t you? If you don’t understand a legal contract don’t agree to it, or find someone with a law degree to translate it for you. As for data collection it’s not a surprise that a company built to gather and sell data would gather and sell your data. At what point did people start thinking that multi billion dollar companies did things for free just because they like you? FB doesn’t build employee condos or keep the lights on in that big office down the freeway from my work paying with likes. Expecting someone to tell you how they’ll screw you is a bit naive. Commerce requires the consumer to exercise some common sense.
That's not what the issue is!! It's not about what the user shares or likes or if they don't bother with privacy settings. The user is responsible for those things. However, they are not responsible for Facebook accessing their emails or text messages, even if they're not logged in to Facebook. That's the issue.
I’m pretty sure the meme still applies. When someone tells you what is going to happen and you do not listen, it’s not their fault. Perhaps there should be better laws about how common legal agreements like TOS, NDA, etc. can be phrased and what can or cannot be included. That’s a discussion long in the making though and Facebook is only one of many guilty parties on that issue. Put another way- if you start dating someone who tells you they WILL cheat on you- and they cheat- who would you like to be responsible for that? Them for doi what they said? Your friends or the government or someone for not stopping you from doing something risky or foolish? Or you- the person who had the responsibility to educate themselves and make an informed decision? Should fast food places stop letting you buy their food because it’s not very healthy, and you don’t know better than to eat it?
As much as the way that if we agree to trade an Apple for an orange and then you get upset I took your orange I’d say it is. There are ethical issues involving data in the modern world but they have little to do with Facebook other than the fact Facebook is one of the many companies taking advantage of poor legislation. Why are companies like this legally allowed to do business with minors at all? Why aren’t there specific opt outs for parents who authorize minors, or people who dont want to allow access? Currently the only opt out is to not use services which gather your data or to understand any TOS and decide if the cost is worth the reward. Information gathering through “honey pots” is nothing new, it’s just cheaper, easier, and more sophisticated than ever. But even if you don’t understand technology as an adult you should understand that signing things you don’t understand or agree with isn’t a good idea.
It's like saying the postal services can show our postcards to others since they're already open... Damn