Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Facebook Releases More Personal Information

Some people are skeptical of using third party applications on Facebook due to reports of Facebook granting the developers access to personal information, but others continue to use the applications freely. However, the information these applications can access may have just become a little more personal than some would like, including your home address and cell phone number.

Personally, I do not have my address and phone number listed on my Facebook page because I didn't find it necessary to share that information with all of the Facebook world. Many of my Facebook friends do have this information listed, as they may feel more comfortable than I do about sharing it with all of their Facebook friends. Sharing the information with your network of friends is one thing, but sharing it with the developers of third party applications is much different.

To be fair, Facebook does request your permission before allowing the applications to access your information. However, I have to wonder how many people will click "allow" before realizing what information they are agreeing to share. According to an article on Switched.com, Facebook claims sharing the information makes it easier for users to register with other sites. In my opinion, it just seems like another way for spammers to gain access to us.

How do you feel about Facebook sharing this information?

No comments: