Strangers with Data

Everyone who’s logged into a web app using Facebook Connect is familiar with this overlay:

Facebook claims that this dialog gives users “transparency and control over the data they share.” I think they’re half right. Transparency? Yes, more or less. Control? Not so much. I can of course choose “cancel” and in that way control whether any of my information is shared, but that’s like saying I control the internet because my computer has a power switch. There’s a difference between actual control and the promise of control, and it’s the difference between giving me treasure and giving me a treasure map.

And sure, I can revoke non-required permissions after the fact by digging through Facebook’s labyrinthine privacy settings, but control-after-the-fact is not the same as control-at-the-time. Indeed, saying I control my data under this schema is disingenuous at best. By the time I can fine-tune my data settings, the app’s already sucked out far more than it needs. Can you imagine how this would look in the real world?

Customer: I’d like to buy this TV

Best Buy: Sure, I’ll just need access to your entire credit card transaction history. Just click this big button right here and you’ll be all set! And don’t worry about the transaction history—you’re in control; you can call this 800 number to revoke access once you leave the store.

Customer: Well, if it’s only temporary, and I’m sure I’ll remember to revoke the access…

It’s easy to see why Facebook does it this way. They’re sitting on a wealth of data of surely massive but ultimately uncertain value, so it only makes sense to see how people will mine it. And app developers are clearly addicted to the data crackpipe—every photo-sharing app on the planet seems to think their profitability depends on knowing whether my high-school girlfriend’s brother-in-law tends to like both my pictures and back episodes of CSI. But let’s be honest, Facebook hands out data like a stranger with candy. You want to sell your data overlay? Find a graph that hasn’t been picked over by ravenous vultures.

Look, I don’t even take issue with the opt-out nature of Facebook’s data policy. You want to default people to sharing? Fine. When selling data is your business, that’s good business sense. But there’s a very real line being crossed here. I shouldn’t have to decide between trying an app and giving up all my data. And no, I don’t think this is a discussion better had with app developers. Facebook owns the platform; Facebook sets the rules. I’m not talking about anything draconian. The solution really is just this simple:

And there you have it. Control-at-the-time for users. Default opt-out for Facebook/developers. Good enough for me.

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  1. morninghacker reblogged this from jericsinger and added:
    innovative approach to giving FB...over their private information. Maybe FB will head
  2. ideasandform said: Generally agree, but FB does let you use an anonymous Facebook-generated email, so you can actually turn off email notifications at any time.
  3. jericsinger posted this

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