Facebook Privacy and Application Access

#proofread

Today an acquaintance asked a basic question which I have been wanting to post for quite sometime.

Question:

When they ask you to visit a site on FB why do they also ask you to .......
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Access my basic information
Includes name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, list of friends, and any other information I've shared with everyone.
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...Post to my Wall
WEBCAM may post status messages, notes, photos, and videos to my Wall
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Access my data any time
WEBCAM may access my data when I'm not using the application

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1/ These are apps which require YOUR data to operate on without which their existence is null and void.. Hence your permission is very essential.

2/ With time one posts a potential amount of useful data to identify his/her tastes and inclinations -> More ad revenue for facebook or any social network.

3/ Since you own the data, sometimes badly written apps try to forcefully impose these permission acceptance on you in exchange for the what the apps do.. Also they access your wall => you become the silent ad spammers in your network for that app....

4/ They access your friends network and list -> potentially targeting ads on your network... may also be used for social engineering. (facebook have privacy controls to stop this.. but those privacy rules dont apply to them ;-) and since, they pacts with third party providers..... u can now complete the picture yourself...)


In the end its all about money.. There is nothing called as free lunch on the web..Its always an exchange..

Social networks are best utilized to exchange generic ideas and thoughts rather than personal. A kind of  balance has to be maintained with the amount and kind of info shared and authenticity of the owner posting... you WILL have to expose some of the private data associated to yourself to be locatable and identified on the web...As one article in India Today long time ago had said - there are 36 leak sources of ones private data.


You may view lectures on privacy by Steven Rambam titled - "Privacy is dead - Get over it"