Facebook to cash in on Members
By oldboy46
@oldboy46 (2129)
Australia
February 1, 2009 8:12pm CST
... or at least that is the story according to the news reports I have read.
It appears Facebook has struggled to make money from advertising and so now it hopes that by allowing multinational companies access to its database, they will be able to make a profit.
Companies will apparently be able to ask questions of specially selected Facebook members. The criteria for choosing the members will be based on their marital status, gender bias and other such personal intimate details that they have included in their Facebook profile. 
Do you think it is morally right for any social networking site to do this?
Should Facebook, or any other forum for that matter, be allowed to reveal personal details of their members?
Should members be given a choice on whether they want to be considered for these surveys?
Will you be amending your personal details on Facebook or even cancelling your Facebook membership?
Do you think it is morally right for any social networking site to do this?
Should Facebook, or any other forum for that matter, be allowed to reveal personal details of their members?
Should members be given a choice on whether they want to be considered for these surveys?
Will you be amending your personal details on Facebook or even cancelling your Facebook membership?5 people like this
10 responses
@crosshair (120)
• India
2 Feb 09
i dont know how far this news is true
but for any social networking site, the privacy of the members should be given first preference.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
2 Feb 09
Yes I would have thought that the privacy of members is important butmaybe there is something in their TOS which allows them to do this. I am sure that this will be well scrutinised, and by many people, before it is able to proceed. I do noi belong to or have a profile on Facebook personally but know that most, if not all, of our children do/
This is the link to the news story where I first read about it.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/736488/facebook-to-cash-in-on-members
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
8 Feb 09
I am no longer a member of facebook and only joined because a couple of friends I had met elsewhere on the internet asked me too. I was never really into it at all and once the emails started to overflow in my inbox I tok action. I deleted as much personal information as I could and then resigned my membership. I did not have a lot of personal information on there anyway because I could not really understand the way that facebook worked. 
It was very different to the other social networking sites I had been a member of in the past. People should really think about what information they give over the internet because once it is there it is hard to remove.
It was very different to the other social networking sites I had been a member of in the past. People should really think about what information they give over the internet because once it is there it is hard to remove.
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
2 Feb 09
Do you have the news link? I think it is described in their Terms of Service and their Privacy policy what they do with your information. To be honest I don't think they want people to use their information because they can show that there was no business relationship between them and they can get a lawsuit perhaps. Facebook should put their user's privacy first!
Pablo
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
2 Feb 09
Yes they probably do have something in their Terms of Service about what they can do with the information you include in the profile. But I am fairly sure that they also have a clause there which says those Terms of Service can be amended, at any time and as required etc. At least that is what most websites, whether a social network or other site, have. Also you can be sure that at least 95% of the members did not read the TOS and Privacy policy before they signed up as a member.
Sorry I forgot the link for the news item but here it is now callarse1.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/736488/facebook-to-cash-in-on-members
Sorry I forgot the link for the news item but here it is now callarse1.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/736488/facebook-to-cash-in-on-members@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
2 Feb 09
DCMerkle, I believe that you are right in that they have the provision to change the TOS as required. I have seen that on many sites and it does make sense to me because irrespective of the original TOS, sometimes the actual laws and changed which can make some of the TOS outdated or possibly illegal.
@wheel416 (1019)
• Canada
3 Feb 09
I think there is a difference between using the information you put on a profile page and personal inforation you may provide during sign up or the creation of an account. One is intended to be public, as it is a profile page, the other they do not have a right to share with others as it may not have been intended for public display and may be information I wish to keep private.
And I think that may be the distiction between a privacy policy and a Terms of Service policy... I'm not sure and would have to read the specifics to be sure, but it's just a thought.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
5 Feb 09
i just heard about this in my email today. strange. i had thought many times to get a profile on facebook. but have 3 on myspace already. i thought of it because myspace is starting to be such a pain with so much. like removing your playlist and making you use theirs, which sucks and dont even play half the time
already. i thought of it because myspace is starting to be such a pain with so much. like removing your playlist and making you use theirs, which sucks and dont even play half the time@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
6 Feb 09
It is a bit strange in some ways although I can understand that they would want to make a profit. So if they are not getting a large enough slice of the revenue pie they will be looking for alternatives. If you are still considering Facebook, then make sure you read the fine print and take care when you put on your profile I would think.
Good luck.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
4 Feb 09
Hi oldboy! I don't have a facebook account but if I did I would not want my personal information disclosed to anyone. I would definately want to choose in partaking in these surveys. I do have a myspace that I barely use but would be livid if I found my info had been shared. I have my profile set to private and that's the way I would want to keep it.It shpuld be up to the people as to whether or not they want to take the survey. Most of them would probably do it if asked to volunteer. Without disclosing personal info.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
5 Feb 09
Hi Jen. I am not against any social networking site wanting to make a profit because after all that is what keeps them alive. However it is the fact that there is a possibility they might open their membership to business which seems to wrong to me. Members should have the option of choosing whether they want to take part in these surveys. If they choose not to, then their information should not be divulged
@zorlone (411)
• Philippines
4 Feb 09
Those are serious questions yet very good timing! I see your point and I know that you don't agree with this. I will try to reinforce your stand (which of course I agree with).
On the point of morality, NO! It is not moral. Come on, am no moralist but I can feel it from my bones that this is immoral. It would certainly violate one or two laws in the human rights.
Revealing personal details of their members for what gain? financial? Unless of course written in the fine print of the agreement can a company be able to do that with the knowledge of the person who joined that site, maybe they can but morally and ethically wrong. I would reread the terms of service again and if they made changes or if it was included in the first place I will not hesitate to remove my membership to such social service.
Choice of members to be included in the pool, YES. So, if upfront, I already know about this fact, then I would make my decision. Other people may want to join but it's up to them.
The last question was answered already.
These are just my opinions. I am a FB member but if they start violating my rights, I will remove myself from their service.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
5 Feb 09
Hi zorlone. Thanks for the summation of what I am saying here.
My concern is that at this time Facebook has not said that members will be given an opportunity to decide whether or not they want to be involved in these surveys. I just think that members should have that choice on whether their personal information is divulged to a third party. Most websites have this litle clause which gives them the right to amend or change the terms of service if that is what they want to do. Problem is that often people do not read that although they tick the box to say they read and understand and accept the TOS.
@sahmof2 (274)
• United States
6 Feb 09
I don't know how true this is, someone is always coming out with some type of rumor about these social networks like you are going to have to start paying for myspace and the likes. However if this is true I don't know if I'm going to cancel my membership, I rarely go on facebook so if they ask me anything I won't answer because I don't really go on the corny excuse for a myspace competitor. Besides my friends on facebook don't have myspace accounts so if they cancel their memberships I will cancel mine because then I really won't have a reason to go on.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
6 Feb 09
There are often rumours aboiunduing about what is happening with various internet sites I do agree. This is the link I found and you might care to have a look at it when you get the time.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/736488/facebook-to-cash-in-on-members
It does make sense that if your friends opt out of Facebook then you would do the same if you are only a member because of staying in contact with your friends.
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
2 Feb 09
Hi oldboy46
I don't think that social networks should reveal personal data without
the users consent. I think it is unlawful to do so . I do believe that
facebook members should be given a choice on whether they want to
participate in the survey or not. I won't be cancelling my facebook
membership but I don't think I will participate in the surveys.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
3 Feb 09
Generally all these websites have a clause which says they can amend their terms and conditions as required and I doubt that Facebook is any different from any other internet site in that regard. I agree that the members should be given an opportunity to say whether or not they want to participate in these surveys. That should happen before any information is given out to a third party as far as I am concerned.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
2 Feb 09
I have an account on Facebook but I recently gave up the email address I used with it. I don't think I will bother with it now given the info you supplied. It was of no real benefit to me anyway. I have other means of contacting the people I was connected to on there.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
3 Feb 09
I do not have an account with Facebook but all of our children do. They are all going to amend some of their information, just in case, and one of the sons-in-law has removed a lot of details and cancelled his membership. It is because of his work and having no idea what is going to happen with personal information.
Until Facebook explains how they are going to deal with ths matter, it is of concern as nobody knows what information will be available and to whom. Yes it probably will all be above board but it really is unknown. If you are able to contact those people you are friends with from Facebook, then you will be okay.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (180452)
• United States
4 Jun 09
I think intimate details of someone's personal life should be off limits. I think people should be allowed to divulge as much or as little as they want to of their lives. I dont think facebook should be able to profit from it. It is something that is going to happen.
@Roseo8 (2947)
• India
9 Feb 09
Hello Oldboy I have not opted for membership in facebook,and if what you say is true ,then I am determind to stay away from it.I believe each member is entilted to his or her privacy and every website and social net working sites has the moral obligation to keep the personal details of its members a secret.Other wise in this age of cyber crimes,such unwarranted release of personal and private information,will be harmful to many and lead to unsolicited problems for many.....I hope face book and other sites will take special steps to preserve the security of its members.
