Does anyone really believe that Facebook was invented by a spotty student ?

For me the CIA have been behind it since day one.

Having said that, I use it to keep up with my family scattered across Ireland, England and France.

I too use Facebook to keep in touch with my family but I have also found it very useful for keeping up with local news.

Want to know if a road is blocked due to flooding? Are the trains running? Have the busses been diverted? Etc. All the information comes up on our local page, along with lots of information about local events, there's even a group that lets you know when Spitfires are flying in the area.

There is also a lot of grumbling about the local council too but that's to be expected.

I am also a member of several railway groups, model and real and there's N'porium too.

Facebook is obviously a bit confused by me if its suggestions for groups for me to join are anything to go by. They seem to have some information about me but not enough to be to dangerous, I think.

For me this is a "so what?". 

We live in the information age, your basic details will be out there. It's like being in the phone book: ok you get the occasional spam call which you just ignore and/or block.    I've never understood this paranoia about keeping even basic contact info secret (but of course you must protect passwords, credit cards, account numbers etc.)

The important thing to remember when dealing with Facebook, or Google, or Amazon (if Alexa's not listening to every word, how can she obey commands?, Apple (SIRI ditto) and the rest of them is that you are not the customer, you are the product.

When you interact with their $multi-billion IT systems and networks, and charge you nothing for it, they make fantabulous amounts of money from selling information about you and your actions.

It's important to use these things (including this thing) with eyes open. Is what you get out of the deal worth what you give them? Personally, I feel it is. Facebook groups were vital to people keeping in touch with each other (not 1:1, but belonging socially) in areas like mine during Covid. I publicise our charity-fundraising choir using social media. There'd be no Zoom, Skype or Messenger without the Faustian deals we all make when we click [I AGREE].

Mike

Quote from: ntpntpntp on November 09, 2022, 04:16:09 PM
For me this is a "so what?". 

We live in the information age, your basic details will be out there. It's like being in the phone book: ok you get the occasional spam call which you just ignore and/or block.    I've never understood this paranoia about keeping even basic contact info secret (but of course you must protect passwords, credit cards, account numbers etc.)

Depends what you do for a living. When we lived in the UK my wife worked with the criminally insane, the ones who weren't in Broadmoor or Rampton.
Back then you went ex directory and lived some way from your patients. Bumping into them at Tesco wouldn't be the best thing!

Regards,

John P

I discontinued using FB a couple of years ago; it had served the purpose of keeping in regular touch with family and friends in the UK and I was tired of all the "targeted" posts and ads, let alone Zuckerberg's political affiliations.

As far as I'm concerned, I treat my email address and phone number as easily-discoverable data which is pretty much in the public domain whether I like it or not. I just ignore spam robocalls and make judicious use of the junk folder and "block" features of my email provider.

I soon learnt to keep myself off the electoral roll, and suspect it has avoided a lot of unwanted junk mail.
However, several years ago dear old BT put me in their damned phone directory (who wants these paper things anyway?). I called them straight away and was told it was a mistake and I'd be removed for the next edition but, there I was, still in . I've given up telling them.
I do have caller ID on my phone so if I don't recognise the number I leave it in the belief if it's important they'll leave a message. Then again, my mate Rob says he called me but there was no answer. When I asked why he didn't leave a short message so I could call him back he replied "I don't speak to machines"
I don't do TwitFace, but am getting into WhatsApp in a small way. I get a few junk mails per week on my e mail account and do wonder what kicks someone gets from sending a message to say my McCaffee protection has expired when I've never actually had it Sad 

Quote from: jpendle on November 09, 2022, 05:43:59 PM

Quote from: ntpntpntp on November 09, 2022, 04:16:09 PM
For me this is a "so what?". 

We live in the information age, your basic details will be out there. It's like being in the phone book: ok you get the occasional spam call which you just ignore and/or block.    I've never understood this paranoia about keeping even basic contact info secret (but of course you must protect passwords, credit cards, account numbers etc.)

Depends what you do for a living. When we lived in the UK my wife worked with the criminally insane, the ones who weren't in Broadmoor or Rampton.
Back then you went ex directory and lived some way from your patients. Bumping into them at Tesco wouldn't be the best thing!

Not sure I get the relevance of that. I do know a lot of people with 'sensitive' jobs (by which i mean police, teachers etc) use pseudonyms on Facebook to make it harder for people to find them. But I do share Nick's opinion that the information is out there, obviously if the criminally insane were getting hold of the contact details and harassing your wife then it may be an issue, but if it's not through FB (and the odds of it being so are vanishingly small) then there are data breaches all over the place.

That said I do find it pretty mad when someone has an open FB profile though, and posts readily about their family, their birthdates, posts photos outside their house, comments like "three more sleeps until hollibobs", pictures of their nice new expensive bike etc, that feels a bit like inviting ne'erdowells.

My wife is an educator and never created any personal social media accounts, whether or not under a pseudonym. When she was in the classroom her school was in the middle of an area with a lot of gang activity and a number of her kids were likely to end up in Juvenile Hall, therefore she liked to keep a low profile. The kids knew her only as "Miss Jill", and not by her last name.

Totally agree about the Muppets who like to humblebrag about their new shiny toys. I know a guy who posted a photo of his new, very expensive Harley outside his house in Clapham. I'm sure it was a pure coincidence (not!) but the very same night it disappeared.