Microsoft's Bing to slurp Facebook users' data and likes Microsoft and Facebook are partnering on Bing, folding in information from 500 million Facebookers into Microsoft's search engine — but claiming they'll respect your privacy. The companies rolled out a feature Wednesday that will search through your Facebook contacts' Likes and fire recommendations into Bing trawled from your …
"In answer to a question from The Reg, Facebook's CEO made it clear this is not an exclusive, long-term marriage and Facebook is open to working with search partners other than Microsoft. "We are trying to build a platform, so for us this isn't about working with just a single company. Over the long term we would love to work with everyone," he said."
There's a response for that: "Sure, that what swingers and switch-hitters and masqueraders say."
Once you get hooked up like the junkie to the pimp, come back in 3.5 years and tell us how you plan to withdraw something of ms from something of yours (remember, withdrawals have to be slow and stead, or you've got a deadly whoosh and a back-pressure/vacuum that'll rip yer guts in a gust....) and switch to another company of opportunity....
I wonder if fb will make good on maintaining the ability for users to download to a zip file all their links, photos and other content ever posted to fb...
Maybe you think I'm paranoid? Hah, let me give you a couple of examples:
My wife says to me that her Facebook chat no longer appears at the bottom of her window (she uses a Mac and Firefox), so she takes our laptop which has Windows XP with IE, where she says that 'at least' she can chat. So I investigate... change the useragent on the Mac to simulate using IE under Windows and hey, magically the chat-box reappears in the window.
A week later I read in the press that IE has stopped losing market share and has re-gained a little on it's competitors. Riiight! My guess is Microsoft knows exactly how potent half a billion users are and what difference a few well-chosen tweaks can make. But this is all under the radar, and even the IT-press hasn't picked up on this stunt. I think the bond between Facebook and Microsoft is A LOT deeper than they are letting on.
Facebook chenanigans? I only use a couple of games on Facebook, one of these is Bejeweled Blitz. Now, ALL privacy settings in Facebook have been set by me using a fine tooth-comb so not a single application has the right to get my email address. Suprise surprise, this week I suddenly get an email from Bejeweled telling me that so-and-so has bettered my score.
Immediately I go to my privacy and application settings, only to find that Bejeweled has now an extra (NEW) option to let them email me, of course set to 'ON' by default. When turning it off, I get the message that it is basically too late, the application will continue to send me emails until I use the 'unsubscribe' link in one of their mails. Basically, until I confirm to them this email-address is ok, so spam away! The only promise Facebook gives is, if I choose to change my email-address, they will not communicate this address to Bejeweled. What they really mean is 'until we plant another new setting and give your address to anyone we like'! The sick part? The 'new' setting has now totally disappeared, like it was never there.
The lesson is: EVERYTHING you put on facebook is PUBLIC for everyone to see and for every company that is willing to pay for it to take full advantage of.
If you think otherwise, you're very naïve.
Indeed Sarah, but that is just my point. It's the disingenuous way in which these companies act that lets them easily explain everything away and that lets them do this. It is very dishonest but all looks so innocent that it works!
I honestly believe that not many things in this industry happen 'by accident'...
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