It's been a while since we've had an uproar over Facebook's handling of its users personal information, so we suppose the time is ripe.

So cue the online outrage: Facebook announced today in a letter to Congress that the social-media platform is moving forward with plans to give third parties access to user information, such as phone numbers and home addresses.

In a letter to Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Tex.), who both expressed concerns over Facebook's plan to make such data available, company officials reiterated their now-familiar pledge to leave it up to users to decide whether they want their personal contact information to go out to app developers and outside websites. Markey has previously said that "Facebook needs to protect the personal information of its users to ensure that Facebook doesn't become Phonebook."

The company, meanwhile, sounds as though it has no plans to trim back its information-sharing ambitions.

"We have not yet decided when or in what manner we will redeploy the permission for mobile numbers and addresses," the letter states. "We are evaluating whether and how we can increase the visibility of applications' request for permission to access user contact information. We are also considering whether additional user education would be helpful."

Facebook has incited user revolts in the past by arbitrarily re-calibrating its privacy settings and then making it difficult for even the most seasoned web geeks to figure out how to reset them. And once again, anger is roiling among tech industry observers.

"Facebook is the slowly warming pot of water and we, my friends, are the frog. By the time we noticed our peeling skin, another hunk of our privacy is long gone," MSNBC tech writer Helen A.S. Popkin wrote about the latest move. "This is how Facebook rolls: Strip away a huge chunk of your privacy, cry 'Our bad!' and roll it back when users and/or privacy advocates complain. Then wait awhile, and do whatever it is Facebook planned to do anyway. Voila! Boiled frog."

Or as Facebook VP Elliot Schrage bluntly (if less colorfully) put things in the midst of a similar uproar last year: If you don't want Facebook to share your personal information, don't share your personal information with Facebook.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110301/ts_yblog_thelookout/facebook-will-soon-share-users-phone-numbers-and-addresses-with-3rd-parties

Y r people crying foul wen dey put dia personal info wia oda people can see it? Its d internet & dia is no privacy watsoeva, so until dey stop livin dia life n d full view of people & stop givin us minute by minute update of dia boring lives, mayb we will have peace . More over, nobody held a gun 2 dia head & forced dem 2 join FB sooooo,

"If you don't want anyone to find out about it then don't do it"
- Chinese proverb

if you don't like your info to be shared by Facebook >>> delete it >>> or don't share it in the first place >>> people should realize that any info they put up on the Internet is still open to (mosttimes unknown) 3rd parties >>> whether they realize it or not

naija people are a bit naive when it comes to security.
All I can say is be very careful of what you say and do on facebook.

that bad or good

This is a welcome development . we in Naija are so naive but in abroad we are good. FACKBOOKERS in naiji let us keeping watching out what they are up to.[b][/b]

Facebook is taking over the world!! 

Just recently, I went on the website of one of the top IT firms (name withheld) to see what positions they had open and was told to sign in using my Facebook account? I was like what the eff. . . what's my facebook account got to do with this? Of course since I didn't have one anymore and I had no intention of opening one, I just clicked out of their website and moved on to the next.

I mean seriously,  what next. . . you can't buy groceries without a facebook account? Facebook account will be the next Passport? Credit scores will soon be replaced by Facebook accounts. . . I dare say, maybe the Anti-Christ is not human after all!!  (Hahahaha. . . just threw that in for the conspiracy nuts in the house)

This is what will inevitably murder facebook. Privacy issues. Unless the world is gullible.

Once they do that sh1t nigga I'm outta the fuccking facebook. What the hell

.

.

it took a loooooong time before i opened a facebook account and then this shit. They are fucking damned. My early experience with facebook wasn't so sweet after all. Their database does not include any of our so called towns, city, schools and colleges execpt for few. So facebook is not meant for Nigerians per cee. nigeria is the first largest user of the internet in africa. We can encourage our own social networking site.

Sisi_Kill:

Facebook is taking over the world!! 

Just recently, I went on the website of one of the top IT firms (name withheld) to see what positions they had open and was told to sign in using my Facebook account? I was like what the eff. . . what's my facebook account got to do with this? Of course since I didn't have one anymore and I had no intention of opening one, I just clicked out of their website and moved on to the next.

I mean seriously,  what next. . . you can't buy groceries without a facebook account? Facebook account will be the next Passport? Credit scores will soon be replaced by Facebook accounts. . . I dare say, maybe the Anti-Christ is not human after all!!  (Hahahaha. . . just threw that in for the conspiracy nuts in the house)

are you sure you are not the antichrist yourself?

niyimat:

it took a loooooong time before i opened a facebook account and then this poo. They are bleeping damned. My early experience with facebook wasn't so sweet after all. Their database does not include any of our so called towns, city, schools and colleges execpt for few. So facebook is not meant for Nigerians per cee. nigeria is the first largest user of the internet in africa. We can encourage our own social networking site.

@niyimat, I must say i agree with you.

  To take things further we should get the house of Representatives in Nigeria to consider a bill to insure
all new Mobile Devices  that come into Nigeria or if made in Nigeria have no facebook app installed by default nor twitter.

Sick and tired of these silly facebook companies trying to stuff these apps on devices (Mobile Devices) by default with out the option to remove them.

Facebook Will Soon Share Users’ Phone Numbers And Addresses With 3rd Parties

Its not about being in 9ja or in the western world that matters, truth is information sent into the super highway becomes public information sometime someday. If people are naive to know that, it is perhaps more of exposure and rationality. I had never pretended not to know that it will get to this sooner or later. I have taken precautionary moves which most interpreted to mean being secretive, but i prefer to be secretive than have my dossier accessed by intruders. This is just Facebook that we are borthered about, all those other sites will someday soon, come up with similar sinister initiatives. Recall, at the point of registration, they get to you sign off on all your rights relating to most, if not all legal liabilities and indeed you agree to indemnify them against some other rights and/or obligations which have appeared too lengthy for you to read and comprehend before signing off. What a shame.

its kind of funny wat facebook is turning out to be?, there are certain information that needs to be shared,your address is out of the picture,next thing u know: they'll start sharing your password,even third-parties will be able to edit your profile,
like a friend of mine said "there's no secret on facebook", i've been thinking,this facebook of a thingy is now turning out to be something else,almost every citizen of Nigeria wants to sign-up on facebook.
these days,the best way for a parent to monitor their childs activities is to join facebook, nd add the child as a friend,
i strongly recomend that all we facebook users should go through our privacy settings and make some amends,

I just dey laugh like OBJ!

Na today?
Na by force?
Abeegi, "delete" your account and "End of Story"
No be food naa?

BTW: Did l hear someone say "Awooof dey run belle"?

lastpage:

I just dey laugh like OBJ!

Na today?
Na by force?
Abeegi, "delete" your account and "End of Story"
No be food naa?

BTW: Did l hear someone say "Awooof dey run belle"?

LASTPAGE na true talk o.no be by force, besides na lie some people dey talk 4 dere,why person no dey talk true.fake book.abeg

na true talk o. It might look difficult forgoing all friends and contact especially those who are already addicted to fakebook, but you just have to do it. if you are having problem deleting it, just go to google and type'deleting my facebook account' click the first option and that will take you through the process of deleting the whole account.remember,if you are a trial layer,you dont need to dress too well in front of the jury

na true talk o. It might look difficult forgoing all friends and contact especially those who are already addicted to fakebook, but you just have to do it. if you are having problem deleting it, just go to google and type'deleting my facebook account' click the first option and that will take you through the process of deleting the whole account.remember,if you are a trial layer,you dont need to dress too well in front of the jury