Student Takes on Facebook Over Privacy

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What exactly did this guy expect when he requested three years worth of his usage data from Facebook?

Max Schrems wasn't sure what he would get when he asked Facebook to send him a record of his personal data from three years of using the site. What the 24-year-old Austrian law student didn't expect, though, was 1,222 pages of data on a CD. It included chats he had deleted more than a year ago, "pokes" dating back to 2008, invitations to which he had never responded, let alone attended, and hundreds of other details.
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Facebook needs a huge data breach before people will get a clue about the importance of compartmentalizing the information you post on the Internet.

I sincerely hope Facebook gets hacked and everyones embarassing shit they thought was private gets posted all over the place.
 
And this is why I post things on there with the assumption that anything I say or do is public knowledge.
 
NKDietrich said:
Facebook needs a huge data breach before people will get a clue about the importance of compartmentalizing the information you post on the Internet.

I sincerely hope Facebook gets hacked and everyones embarassing shit they thought was private gets posted all over the place.
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Security through obscurity. 500mil users, 1222 pages for one user. No idea if that's above or below average, though I suspect it's actually below average if I look at how many pages of logs I personally have from other chat mediums (I don't use facebook). No one person, or even team of people could hope to effectively dig up dirt on even a measurable fraction of Facebook users. Frankly, I pity the fool who does (attempt) to sift through everything someone has posted on FB just to find the juicy bits...most peoples' lives are boring and full of minutiae that shouldn't be inflicted upon others.
 
wait, I had a chick send me some ummm "research" material years back, that I lost when I deleted my facebook.

Can I somehow get them to send me a CD with my 'research" on it?
 
NKDietrich said:
Facebook needs a huge data breach before people will get a clue about the importance of compartmentalizing the information you post on the Internet.

I sincerely hope Facebook gets hacked and everyones embarassing shit they thought was private gets posted all over the place.
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Why would you wish this on anyone? I admit, I use facebook. But then again, I also don't really post private info on there. unless you count my list of likes being full of porn. Which by the way makes me wonder if my boss looks at my list of likes or not. Hasn't commented on it to me just yet. >.>

But embarrassment is embarrassment, I wouldn't want anyone to be completely embarrassed unless they really ticked me off.
 
What is this "Facebook" you speak of?

I get a chuckle every time somebody gets upset over information THEY POSTED online. :)
 
Magnus said:
What is this "Facebook" you speak of?

I get a chuckle every time somebody gets upset over information THEY POSTED online. :)
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Something that a lot of people aren't getting here is that they are storing chat logs. Imagine if you could call AOL and ask them for the past few years aim logs.
 
Also, I tried sending them an email to get them to send me all the data they had on me but because I'm in the United States they don't have to.
 
stealthy123 said:
wait, I had a chick send me some ummm "research" material years back, that I lost when I deleted my facebook.

Can I somehow get them to send me a CD with my 'research" on it?
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It's very likely they have the data. The guy from the article thought he had deleted a bunch of old chats / messages. These are very likely logical deletes only. Facebook still has all of the data in their database. Nothing is actually *deleted* when the user deletes an item.
 
DarkStar02 said:
Something that a lot of people aren't getting here is that they are storing chat logs. Imagine if you could call AOL and ask them for the past few years aim logs.
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They're more than welcome. Never put anything online, in any form, on any site, you don't want some sleaze, big brother or, lulz gatherer to know. Period.

While we're at it, what is this "aim" you speak of. ;)
 
I seem to remember this protip which states that there are no anonymity on the internet. If you cannot keep your own secrets, do not expect others to keep them in your stead.

Facebook and other firms are running their operations in light of those privacy legislation nevertheless. The need for punitive measures beyond arbitrary financial damages are needed to better deter this contagion of unannounced information trading, while improving the measurement of financial worth of personal information so as to price monetary damages more appropriately.
 
NKDietrich said:
Facebook needs a huge data breach before people will get a clue about the importance of compartmentalizing the information you post on the Internet.

I sincerely hope Facebook gets hacked and everyones embarassing shit they thought was private gets posted all over the place.
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That's a silly idea. They already posted it on the internet to share with everyone. =/
 
NKDietrich said:
Facebook needs a huge data breach before people will get a clue about the importance of compartmentalizing the information you post on the Internet.

I sincerely hope Facebook gets hacked and everyones embarassing shit they thought was private gets posted all over the place.
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You know it's only a matter of when and how much, not if they have a data breach.
Knowing that they keep all this past information likely makes them an even bigger target.
 
Technikal said:
Moral of the story... Get off the [strike=option]Social Networking[/s] Facebook kick. How many updates of what people had for breakfast or lunch do you need every day? I don't get it Facebook. Must be my small brain.
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Fixed. Not all social media websites harvest secretly, just Facebook pretty much. Maybe even twitter. There are many others though (this one included) which don't gather, spy, and sell your every thought like facebook obviously has done for years.
 
Technikal said:
Moral of the story. Get off the Social Networking kick. How many updates of what people had for breakfast or lunch do you need every day? I don't get it Facebook. Must be my small brain.
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Personal targeted marketing....
 
Greene420 said:
Fixed. Not all social media websites harvest secretly, just Facebook pretty much. Maybe even twitter. There are many others though (this one included) which don't gather, spy, and sell your every thought like facebook obviously has done for years.
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[H] isn't really considered a "social media website" in the manor of what it actually means.

So he was right with his original post. This includes FB, G+, Twitter and all the rest of them. Their whole being is to get you to give up personal data so they can sell it or use it to lure advertisers for money.
 
This is actually pretty nice. So much of our lives take place through digital communication these days and most folks don't have a box of letters and correspondence anymore. It's good to know that Facebook actually keeps all this information saved instead of deleting it, allowing you to request it and look through it all in 30-50 years when you're writing your memoirs.
 
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