Facebook looking at buying Opera? I sure hope not!

[sflorack]

Originally Posted by Shelded

Facebook is not a democracy. It's a for-profit business masquerading as a do-no-evil entity. Not doing very well at any part of that either, as a matter of fact.

So is Google, but apparently they're better at keeping people enchanted with their "free" products.

[Aimlink]

Originally Posted by sflorack

So is Google, but apparently they're better at keeping people enchanted with their "free" products.

Same for the Internet. So many enchanted users.

So it behoves us to inform ourselves and protect ourselves as much as possible without becoming recluse.

Nothing special about Google or Facebook. They're just points of focus. The warts show up more readily that way.

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by David

Many Facebook users have deactivated but still (technically) hold accounts. It takes a further process (which is difficult) to totally cancel out your account.

That being the case, many who think they have left, would still count toward the total number of Facebook users. I would think that a fair percentage of folk fall into that category.

Me too. But I have not used Facebook in 3 years now and not intending to restart using it. I actually used it a few months only and decided it wasn't my cup of tea. Only lesson I learnt: don't just jump on stuff to try out, but wait and see how it evolves before giving it a test ride.

Actually, I like the idea behind Facebook. I don't like how it evolved. The idea of networking with a profile page and with discussions per subject to exchange info, is great. But both MySpace and Facebook have moved away from that target and focussed on profit-making, thereby moving further and further away from their initial goal and functioning. Which is a shame. But there's networking sites out there who are still doing what it is should be all about. Most are invitation only ; but maybe that is exactly what keeps them interesting.

As for Facebook: nothing against those using it. If they like it, good for them. It doesn't match with my internet ethics so I'll abstain, but if others enjoy it then so be it and I sincerely wish them all pleasure. I just hope they know about the rules well enough to use it carefully.

The one thing I dislike most is how for some people FB is the first and only site they visit. I have met someone literally saying "someone without FB profile is inexisting in my eyes both offline and online" ; as if those who don't use it are backwards or so. That is annoying. If she enjoys using it, I'm glad for her, but such statements are quite irritating really.

[Webgenie]

I was very resistant to joining Facebook, and enjoyed LiveJournal for years. Peer pressure got me to join, but I didn't like it and deleted that account. Later I joined again, because so many people are there - people from real life and non-techie people whom I've known over many years. I even made a second account for commenting on newspapers, blogs, etc., and I log in only to do those things on that account, infrequently. On my main account, I am always logged in, but at no time did I give my real name on Facebook. Because I have a fake name, I feel free to post pictures and things that identify me to people I know. I have been found by those I would want finding me, and not by those who should stay out of my business. It still amazes me that the majority of people put out their valid identity info and real names, but I'm glad they do, so I can find them! I enjoy Facebook very much, and feel that I am there on my terms.

[Shelded]

You probaably would be surprised how many people or entities can still scrub your true identity out of the various pieces of information and photos which are there. The technology gets better all the time to do just this. Sit there and feel smug until it's proven to you, and then you will be unable to put the genie back in the bottle. Good luck.

[Webgenie]

I would be surprised if that could be done by impersonal tech. It would be very easy to do by an individual, and that is how I have been found by some people I know.

[Shelded]

For starters, FB has your IP address and a few photos. How hard you think it would be to match your multiple identities? Have none of your friends ever used your name in their posts to other friends of theirs? Etc. Those FB computers are bored all day long and think hard about you

[Webgenie]

I am aware that since I use two accounts concurrently, with different fake names, that they can both be traced to the same IP address. People generally call me my alias on Facebook, even real friends. My husband and I share the account, and we do use his real first name. I think the main motivation for any stranger to want to pursue me is money. Free services make the users the "product". I am a very bad product, one that does not see ads on my main computer.

Another thing I will have to look into is how to enhance my privacy and security on my newly acquired Kindle Fire. Normally (and for years), I have seen no crap on my computer, but on the Kindle, I see ads. It is very disturbing to me! I feel that all of that stuff compromises security. I downloaded a weather app and Pandora, and quickly got rid of both when I saw it meant looking at ads.

[Shelded]

If you are as private as you portray, you did buy the wrong product for privacy. The Kindle Fire proxies your internet for you. And any of us has experienced how well Amazon harvests all clicks to determine what we see at Amazon.

This is a way off the topic unless you get the idea that privacy is precious and hard to keep when you hop in bed with big pushy companies like FB, Amazon, MS, or Google.

[ChinaLamb]

One wrong post brings the entire illusion of privacy down permanently. And all it takes is for others to post about your relationship, post a wedding photo, or do something else, and these services can triangulate your true identity.

The other thing people don't think about is how banks (with all your financial info) buy and sell information on you. They can also buy information from other services, that allow them to make a more complete picture of you. All this information is being bought and sold, and I bet you would be surprised what corporations know about you... No drones needed in the skies for all that. ATT, Verizon, know where you are, by calculating your position between cell towers. You could live off of pre-paid phones bought with cash, but one mistake, one credit card payment and they know who you are.

I fight for my privacy online, but... it is a losing battle.

[Aimlink]

Originally Posted by ChinaLamb

One wrong post brings the entire illusion of privacy down permanently. And all it takes is for others to post about your relationship, post a wedding photo, or do something else, and these services can triangulate your true identity.

The other thing people don't think about is how banks (with all your financial info) buy and sell information on you. They can also buy information from other services, that allow them to make a more complete picture of you. All this information is being bought and sold, and I bet you would be surprised what corporations know about you... No drones needed in the skies for all that. ATT, Verizon, know where you are, by calculating your position between cell towers. You could live off of pre-paid phones bought with cash, but one mistake, one credit card payment and they know who you are.

I fight for my privacy online, but... it is a losing battle.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I myself have a FaceBook account which I basically don't use except for accepting invitations to add as friend whenever appropriate. I was about to delete it when I got a notification message saying that I was identified in a photo. Turned out that it was a photo that was taken while I was at dinner with some colleagues. The photo wasn't even taken by one of those that I was with but by a photographer taking pics while a relatively popular band was playing.

A friend found it fun to identify me by full name in the photo that was posted to report on the bands performance at the venue.

I decided to continue using FaceBook so I could monitor what's being said about me and the pics of me and family members posted!!! None of which I have anything to do with. I despise how out of control the concept allows things to become. LinkedIn is another pervasive service but on the professional front.

I do find the assumption of privacy and the imparting of trust to entities because they are small and the support/development staff 'nice folk' to be interesting.

Finally, loss of privacy is a far greater issue when it comes to our subscriptions for phone service and our e-commerce activities using credit cards, PayPal and such.

Quite the storm in a tea cup, FB looking to acquire Opera. The privacy battle, IMO is lost once you carry out Internet activities in a normal, though careful way .... but it's about peace of mind, they say. Even if you're not on the Internet, your information will be put on a system that accesses in the Internet and exchanged with other entities or subdepartments etc.

With regard to FastMail changing ownership hands, I'm more concerned about FastMail's feature set being preserved, especially the ones having to do with Domain Mail DNS management and that the service remains focused in how it's provided and presented to the user. I absolutely love the FastMail focus of power and flexibility, some of which I can't duplicate with my Google Apps Premiere account.

[Webgenie]

Shelded, you forgot Apple, though I get your point. I've never had an Apple product, partly because of the invasiveness of its Quicktime on my MS computers, but I did compare before buying the Kindle.

ChinaLamb, you are right about banks and the losing battle of keeping one's privacy. Funny you should mention prepaid phones - that is the only kind we have, including an Android on PagePlus Cellular. I don't really know how private they are, but I do think it's better than contracting with any big company directly for many reasons.

When a bank insists on your physical home address, even when you do not use that as a mailing address, you are compromised. I lived in the same place for 27 years, and because I'd given out the address, I could easily be found with my residence address online. When I recently moved, I was more careful and more aware, because as you all say, once the info is out, you can't take it back.

We take the risks as we choose - but back on-topic, I don't like the idea of FastMail and the comfortable level of security I feel with it being corrupted by Facebook. However, as days go by, it doesn't seem particularly likely to me that we are going to have a problem with that. It would just be our worst nightmare for Facebook to not only buy Opera, but take an interest in FastMail. Having tried some alternatives since learning about the possibility, I have found that there really is nothing that compares with FastMail, even though some competitors charge much more for much less.

[mechanic]

"Privacy is dead, deal with it,” Sun MicroSystems CEO Scott McNealy

-nothing new here, move along...

[Shelded]

What's new here is that one of our methods of dealing with it is under attack. Yesterday's methods need to be updated today.

BTW that supposed knowledge Scott McNealy shared with us was not universally accepted as truth.

[Aimlink]

Originally Posted by Shelded

What's new here is that one of our methods of dealing with it is under attack. Yesterday's methods need to be updated today.

BTW that supposed knowledge Scott McNealy shared with us was not universally accepted as truth.

There was definitely a context to his statement and we lie smack within in it considering our day to day activities on an off the Internet. In that context, I agree with him. However, in an absolute sense, privacy is far from dead. It's just that for involved and participating members of modern society and the computer age, privacy is really not there anymore.