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Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

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Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#31

Post by michaelhart »

buro9 wrote: post #13
c1sc0 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure Facebook would then remove the href on the link & tell people to copy/paste it into their browser.

Or just put the link on a HTTPS page as referrer information isn't sent from those.

Google could also make an API requiring an API key to access it (for services/tools that depend on it). Refuse to give Facebook an API key, and allow apps that depend on the current method to transition. Within 30 days or so, shut down access to it via the predictable URL and make it some crazy URL when they request it.

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#32

Post by bbuffone »

dododo wrote: post #3

or "facebook won't let you liberate your facebook data to alternate providers". i don't understand why people tolerate facebook. they don't seem deserving of the trust people give them. first opt-in/opt-out privacy issues, now this... plus it doesn't seem like they're really trying to make money yet. i suppose this is what the initial "exclusivity" of the facebook brand got them: loyalty without needing trust.

People tollerate them because they won they social space. The winners always get free passes on things that only matter to a few people. Most people dont think about getting their data out. Where would they put it?

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#34

Post by dawgr »

bhavin wrote: post #29

Facebook 'Liberating' you gmail contact data? Sounds like Nazis 'liberating' France in WW2.

I don't think the Nazis ever claimed to be liberating France. It was actually the Brits who wanted to "liberate" France but General de Gaulle kind of interfered with that by talking on the radio. But I know what you mean.

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#35

Post by gabea »

michaelhart wrote: post #2

Google could easily fix this w/o impacting other services: block Facebook's referrer. And then present them with an opt-in page for Google.me... BOOM! Instant win? High five.

Google could also block any facebook links from appearing as google search results if things become more tenuous. I highly doubt this would ever happen since they might face a heavy duty backlashing, but the thought is intriguing.

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#36

Post by jhancock »

michael_dorfman wrote: post #26
dododo wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they have ~500 million users[0]. that's ~$4/user/year. [0] http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

You know, I'd settle for $1/user/year, if I had 500 million users.

This is a good point. A search engine like duckduckgo can choose to make much less by not tracking so much user data...and its still "enough". There are other vectors to bootstrap a friends/family sharing system that values privacy. Such a system can make a lot less than FB and still be "enough".

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#37

Post by krosaen »

yason wrote: post #17

I would never give my gmail password to any third party proxy. So this is how I imported my gmail email addresses to facebook a few years ago in the first place. I took the export from Gmail in CSV format, cleaned out anything but email addresses, and fed them in Facebook.

google contacts supports oauth so you don't have to provide your password. I'm not sure whether facebook uses this support though

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#38

Post by dododo »

michael_dorfman wrote: post #26
dododo wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they have ~500 million users[0]. that's ~$4/user/year. [0] http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

You know, I'd settle for $1/user/year, if I had 500 million users.

that's revenue, not profit.

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#39

Post by ohyes »

wh-uws wrote: post #7
dododo wrote: post #3

or "facebook won't let you liberate your facebook data to alternate providers". i don't understand why people tolerate facebook. they don't seem deserving of the trust people give them. first opt-in/opt-out privacy issues, now this... plus it doesn't seem like they're really trying to make money yet. i suppose this is what the initial "exclusivity" of the facebook brand got them: loyalty without needing trust.

Most non-technical average users (read: the majority of their users ) just don't really understand / care about the privacy issues. They just love the experience they can find at and pretty much only at the facebook site. The tech press and media make an initial fuss about all of it but by the time they figure out a way to bring it down to a level the masses can understand facebook has put a notification on the top o…

A lot of teens/young adults self censor on Facebook, not because of privacy issues with relation to the rest of the world, but because of privacy issues concerning their parents/relatives. 'Oh shit my mom is on Facebook', was an SNL sketch a few months ago. It is definitely an issue that people think about.

The problem is that 'us nerds' try to explain it based on technical merits rather than giving practical examples in which privacy concerns are at issue. (I don't want everything that is said to my best friend Billy to go to my mom; I sometimes use language that my grandma would find inappropriate; I don't want my girlfriends to find out about each other, etc.)

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#40

Post by henrikschroder »

ck2 wrote: post #27

What really upsets me about Facebook is I refuse to start an account there but they already know everything about me because they tricked all my AOL/gmail-using friends into giving them full access to their contact lists. So I constantly get spam from Facebook personalized with my name, location and list of friends, based on all the stupid data they have sucked up. It's borderline stalking.

Joining and locking down the account by disabling all the notifications would make them stop spamming you. Dunno what's more important to you, getting rid of the spam, or the principle of not having an account there?
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