Why is everyone so upset about Facebook?
There’s been a lot of thoughtful stuff written and said over the last few weeks as Facebook’s privacy policy has continued to erode (including a post by Michael Stoner written on this blog with some great insights about the big-picture implications about Facebook’s new announcements). You can also get a great set of insights here, here and here. But I’m more interested in why any of us are shocked and/or surprised by what Facebook is doing.
First a bit of background: I’m a privacy advocate, a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and an optimist. So it’s not like I don’t care about the changes in FB’s policy, how personal information is handled online or have a gloomy outlook on everyday life. Just the opposite actually.
But as far as I understand them, these are the facts:
> Facebook is run by a guy with a history of unethical behavior
> We freely chose to join Facebook (a for-profit entity)
> We individually decided how much personal stuff to post on their servers
> Some of us decided to profile ourselves to a shocking degree of detail
> Some of what we posted we’d prefer not to share with the world
> Facebook realized/knew that co-opting this info is worth a TON of money
> Facebook slowly changed their policies to make it ok to exploit this info
What did we think was going to happen? We shared really personal information with a corporation who’d never really promised to take our privacy seriously. We watched as they incrementally shifted their stance on privacy (and on who actually owns the content we post). Basically, they made a really nifty platform that encouraged sharing and they decided to cash-in on that platform. Can we be collectively outraged at the fact that it’s happening? Yep. Should we honestly be surprised that it’s happening? Nope.
The admittedly flawed analogy that’s been bouncing around my head is to the cigarette industry:
Big tobacco behaved dishonorably and dishonestly in attempting to lead the public to believe that there were no health risks associated with smoking. But regardless of the health disinformation being circulated, smokers had to know on some level that there’s something inherently unhealthy about lighting an object on fire, sticking it in your mouth and sucking on it.
Facebook has behaved dishonorably and dishonestly in their communications about privacy and in the way they’ve repeatedly changed their policies. But on some level we all knew (or should have known) there were real risks associated with sharing our private information with a company that doesn’t seem to give a damn about privacy.
What it comes down to for me is this:
There are known risks associated with smoking. Smoke or don’t.
There are known risks associated with Facebook: Stay or leave.
Ultimately, just like there isn’t a safe cigarette, there isn’t a safe Facebook. If you’re worried about risk you can smoke less and you can share less. Or you can quit.
Great points, Patrick. You’re fundamentally right in your conclusion.
I think we’re dealing with some very understandable reactions in people’s anger at Facebook. People are having an emotional, visceral reaction.
Let’s agree that the only way to keep something secret is not to tell anyone anything, ever. But taking that stance means you’re going to be pretty isolated. So most of us have learned to trust people enough to reveal things to them, often things that we’re embarrassed or ashamed about. Suppose you tell someone you believe to be trustworthy something that you expect them to keep quiet. And they blather it to all their friends. You’re going to feel betrayed. You’re probably going to feel pissed. Depending on the depth of your betrayal and anger—and how personal the information was—you might be angry enough to end the relationship or take a long hiatus from it.
I submit that while there’s a possibility that the damage could be greater if the betrayal happens on the Internet (via email, Facebook, etc. etc. etc.) because implications of betrayal can be greatly amplified, the *feelings* are similar to what happens when the betrayal occurs with someone with whom you’ve shared a secret face-to-face.
So, I can understand why people feel betrayed by Facebook. Facebook changed their privacy controls without warning. Facebook made a lot of decisions that essentially force everyone to share information—or remove it. They have a “right” to do this. But it’s still a betrayal. And I’m angry about it, even though I didn’t share anything on Facebook that I haven’t shared in other places—anything I thought was really “private” or “secret.”
There’s another side to this that concerns me. Those of us who work on marketing and branding should be pissed about Facebook’s actions. It’s one thing to inform people of changes to come, let them know why you’re doing what you’re doing, and clearly articulating the benefits for them. Without a process to bring people along, Facebook seems like a bunch of clueless, mercenary, faceless geeks and reinforces a common meme that you just can’t trust a company or a brand.
Posted on May 17, 2010 by Michael Stoner