As long as companies like these continue to subsist on VOLUNTARY crowd-sourcing techniques (which is more than likely, considering that we ALSO benefit from feeding them relevant information) then they are a great boon to all our lives. Yes, even despite the fact that they *gasp* try to actually make money in the process.

But I have to say, as you have read in my previous comment, that I do not agree with you.

Your first paragraphs were great, I could see your point and it was good. But then you began to say (as I see it) that Google and Facebook are some kind of Robin Hood, looking for the best way of taking money from other companies instead of taking it from us. So all your other lines become, to me, something like “Hey folks, let’s let them keep selling our info… they are the good guys here. Both Google and Facebook are providing us free services instead of asking us for money in return”.

In a way, that could be true. But services like Google and Facebook are not telling us the whole thing. They are doing some kind of devil’s work, telling us “Well, I give you all (the services) you want… and I do it for free. All I ask in return is your soul (your personal data, in this case). After all, why would you even care about your soul? You never see it, you never use it, and you know that as far as you feel alright, you don’t even care about it.”

Our personal data is kind of our soul here. It says who we are. And Google’s + Facebook’s trick is the same the devil does: they are not telling us how important is that which they are taking away from us. Well, they are not even telling us what they are exactly taking, and what are they gonna do with it.

Is that fair?

Of course I know there are LOTS of tricks being played out there. Not just by Google and Facebook, but by almost every corporation. There is marketing for example (laughs? No? ok, let’s continue…). I mean, companies do everything in their hands to maximize their profits. I’m not some guy saying “other business men are good; people from Google and Facebook are the antichrist”. I’m not that naïve.

Talking about Facebook, I’m concerned about the way that things might turn out. Like you said in your answer,”most people leave their friends list accessible to the rest of the world”. And that’s not just happening with the friends list, but with most part of their personal data. And that’s because Facebook (and other services like this) is giving us the tools to show ourselves without teaching us how to use them properly. They are so worried about making us willingly give away our data that they do not see the consequences.

I think that we have the right to know what they’re going to do with our data. So we can choose and make an informed decision. Facebook should say “We can not only use your data but in fact we WILL use your data… in this and this way. If you don’t care, then join us and enjoy our services.” And they should also show us the risks of being public and teach us how to make a responsible use of our data.

I don’t think that doing this would spoil their business at all. On the contrary, it is going to improve their services.

I think your communication with friends is definitely private, and that list of friends you have on Facebook and MySpace can be hidden, but most people leave their friends list accessible to the rest of the world.

Part of my point is that we never had some of the privacy we’re so concerned about. In that case I’d agree with Mark Zuckerberg’s worldview. I don’t think this has had such a negative impact so far, at least not close to the disproportionate reaction of people who are angry with Facebook.

“I wouldn’t advocate giving up privacy” So, please don’t.

“Advertising is a fact of life, so it might as well be good.” Car accidents are a fact of life too… so they might be good then?

” If advertisers can figure that out from my Facebook page or my Google search history, it will creep us out, but we’ll get over it”. Get over it? really?

I don’t kwon man, maybe you see this allright because you are viewing it from the corporation’s angle. But I see no good in losing our privacy like that. I mean, I’m not something you can sell… are you? My search history is -MY- search history. Same as MY friends, MY favs, MY games, etc. If some guy is going to sell all my stuff, well… that MUST be me.

You may actually be onto something, with most people being the tools they are…