Facebook Facepalm

Looks like this article is over a year old, so some of the technical solutions or opinions may be a bit outdated now.

The eagle-eyed amongst may have noticed over the years that there's never been a link to DesignKarma's Facebook page in the footer of this website. That's because we don't have one. Nor do I personally have one; or have ever had one.

Yes I know it's great for networking and SEO, but I don't like Facebook. I've never liked Facebook. Over the years it has created a 'walled garden'; a huge portion of the Internet that's behind closed doors, only available by login. That's not what the Internet is for.

It's also creepy. I've also had grave concerns about privacy from day one, and always been surprised at how readily otherwise sensible people share their personal and family data. If a stranger in the street asked you for your birthday, a photograph of your partner, a list of all your friends etc... you'd be rightly concerned. Yet somehow publishing that stuff online is perfectly acceptable. So now it turns out that Facebook (and no doubt other anti-social networks) have been using your data in ways you weren't aware of or didn't consented to. Frankly, what the f*ck did you think would happen?

I hope that the latest revelations will force people to rethink what they're doing online, and what the Internet is for. Some very prominent individuals have already closed their Facebook accounts, so maybe this is the beginning of the end for Facebook. Because I am convinced that what has been unearthed this week is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

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