Earlier this week, a security researcher/blogger created a program that hacked 170 million Facebook profiles and organized them into a downloadable file. Ron Bowes, the blogger who hacked the data, claimed the readily-available information is "a scary privacy issue," because if certain privacy settings are not enabled, anyone can access someone's photos, friends and other profile information using their name and profile URL.
But was the information really "hacked," when it's already available in other online search engines? The profile names and URL's were taken from the site's public directory, which users can opt out of by adjusting their privacy settings.
All the discussion that surrounds Facebook and privacy seems counterproductive, especially in this case. Social networking is intended to facilitate sharing of information, and those who don't want their profiles accessible via search engine can adjust their privacy settings accordingly.
However, some would argue, being found by friends on the site is, well, the point of subscribing. To those people, I would say, that we almost always trade privacy for convenience. Take online bill pay for example. In exchange for the convenience of not having to write a check every month, we give up some privacy by allowing companies access to our banking information. Facebook is no different: in exchange for the convenience of connecting with friends online, we trade the privacy of having our names/photos publicly searchable.
Not that I don't also understand the perspective of Facebook users who don't want grandma or potential employers to access photos of them pounding tequila shots. But should those photos be posted online anyway, regardless of your privacy settings? Content posted on social networking sites will essentially live on the internet for years to come, and users should stop tinkering with their privacy settings and ask themselves if they want their content to exist in the sphere of public information that is the internet.
Those who gripe about privacy on Facebook, should stop complaining and unsubscribe.
