I finally did it. Even before the Cambridge Analytics deal, I was considering deleting my FB account. About two months ago I removed the FB app from my phone. I didn’t need that kind of connected anymore. Across all my services I felt like I was in notification hell and started to purge.
I don’t believe these companies are “spying” on me per se. For example, I want Amazon and Target to track my buying habits so I get ads and offers and suggestions that matter to me.
But Facebook is personal. I put stuff on Facebook to share with my family and friends…not data analytics companies.
It was a good reminder of what Facebook is: free.
I really thinking about not using gmail anymore either and paying for a Office365 account or using iCloud’s email (I’m a part time Mac user).
Do I trust companies like Microsoft and Apple more than Google or Facebook? I dunno….maybe. Could Microsoft and Apple misuse my data too? Sure. But at least Microsoft and Apple make money by selling stuff.
With Google and Facebook, my data is how they make money.
It has me re-thinking what I use.
Any thoughts?
Thom77
<p>I wouldnt give Apple too much credit.</p><p><br></p><p>They only became pro-privacy after their iAd mobile advertising platform failed to compete in the marketplace. Their privacy stance is actually a strategic business move, not one based on some sort of sense of morality. That being said, I felt way more secure in my data when I had my iphone SE compared to my current android phone now, which seems to allow apps to run secretly in the background even though I have not initiated them, only revealing themselves occasionally through random notifications.</p><p><br></p><p>As far as the Cambridge thing, the same thing happened in the 2012 election, where an Obama facebook based app collected data not only on the person who downloaded it, but also of all their "friends" who did not give the same permission for data collection that the downloader did. Not directing this towards the OP, but as a general observation, I find it curious that a lot of people who are outraged over the Cambridge thing conveniently ignores the fact that the same thing was done in the Obama campaign. Funny how that works.</p><p><br></p><p>I was on Facebook a long time ago, realized I really didnt care about anyone's life as much as they think I did, and deleted my account within days of making it. I was on twitter for a day, which was long enough for me to witness the mob mentality that feeds in that platform, and deleted my account. It was during the time when some NFL Cowboys player killed another player in a drinking and driving accident, and I only noted that the person who was killed had some part to play in his own death, because he CHOSE to get into a car with another person he knew was drunk. The pitchforks came out, and I never looked back.</p><p><br></p><p>What really disturbs me is that a lot of android phones are coming with Facebook preinstalled, and sure, now you can "disable" it, but seriously … does anyone really trust this? I don't want it on my phone period.</p><p><br></p><p>I think the psychological benefits of leaving Facebook outweigh any benefit derived from its use, and I congratulate anyone who leaves the platform. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>