All of the issues concerning the (repeated) privacy fails around the IntarWebs these days can be traced to one simple principle:
Privacy Is Trust.
That’s really why Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s early confession that only “dumb f*cks” trust him is such a big deal.
I put a lot of information about myself out on the Internet. Much of it – or links to it – is on my own “nameplate” site. But once you get past that original bit of information, it becomes a lot harder.
That’s on purpose.
Like everyone, there are things about me – things I’ve done, or said, or seen – that only a very few people know about. Things I have shared, but only to a very small, select group of people.
People that I trust.
One of the things that I originally liked about Facebook was how I could control who got to see what information. Even if it took a bit of work, I could control it as effectively as real life.
Now, though?
Zuckerberg’s actions are like when you confided in a friend, to only find out that they told your secrets to half the school. I’ve stripped a lot of information out of Facebook already; most of what’s left are public information (or that I’ve shared elsewhere). I’m immensely glad that Facebook was never my primary source of sharing material.
I’m still on Facebook – you can become a fan of me here, actually – but like MySpace, I’m now mostly there because of other people. It’s not worth it anymore.
I simply don’t trust Mark Zuckerberg – or Facebook – anymore.