Toronto duo push 'Quit Facebook Day'

.Facebook has been in the hot seat over site privacy. (QMI Agency files) TORONTO — Joseph Dee is preparing to hit the delete key on his Facebook account. And if they stick to their pledge, thousands of others will be joining him Monday in “defriending” the social networking site.

Dee, a web technologist, is one-half of the Toronto duo behind QuitFacebookDay.com.

Dee and Matthew Milan launched the site May 12 to announce their plans to bid adieu to Facebook, expressing concerns over how the popular site manages the personal data of its more than 400 million users, which include 15 million in Canada.

QuitFacebookDay.com provides an open forum for others to share their views, as well as allowing those who are inclined to submit their pledge to “commit to quit.”

As of early Sunday, more than 24,000 had signed on committing to quit Facebook.

Dee said while privacy is a commonly discussed theme, the issue for both him and Milan regarding Facebook runs deeper.

“It’s more than just the issue of how they’re handling people’s personal information. It’s about the approach that they take to the experience,” Dee said. “It’s one thing to give people the option to set their privacy, but how easy is that to do? And how much are they really concerned about people having ownership over that?”

“I don’t get the feeling that that’s really their intent, so it’s an issue of trust as much as it is an issue of privacy for me.”
Facebook has been in the hot seat over site privacy. Complaints have emerged over default privacy settings that were revealing more information than some users realized.

The Associated Press reported that a security glitch exposed some users’ private conversations, and another revealed the information of users to advertisers in a way that they could be identified — going against Facebook’s terms of service.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced last week amendments to the privacy settings. The changes include a single-click option allowing users to determine with whom they would share their information, as well as allowing users to stop third-party applications from accessing their personal data. Less private information is also now visible on user profiles by default.

The office of Canada’s privacy commissioner, which investigated Facebook’s privacy policies in 2009, says while the latest changes are positive, they may not be enough to conform with Canadian law.

In a statement emailed to The Canadian Press, Facebook said the privacy and security of user information is of “paramount importance to us.”

The statement went on to highlight some of the changes made to address concerns, pointing to the redesign of the privacy settings page, as well as the single privacy control for all content and a way to opt out of the Facebook platform.

“We hope these changes address the concerns that people raised, but we encourage users to continue to send us their feedback,” the statement reads, including a link to Facebook’s privacy feedback page: http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show—formprivacy—settings— feedback.

“We also hope that people who had previously committed to quitting Facebook choose to spend the day going through their new privacy controls instead.”

Dee said he thinks the ability to stop the dissemination of user information to third parties is a good step. But overall, he sees the privacy changes as more reactive and a PR move than anything else.

“I don’t think that at the core Facebook is really concerned about what I feel as a user. I think they’re looking at it more from a business sense, and that’s their right to do that,” he said.

“They’re a corporation and they own their network and they’re setting the rules on their network. My option is whether or not I want to partake in that, and that’s why I’m moving away from it.”

Dee said he’s been “a little bit overwhelmed” by how much attention the site has received. However, he doubts either he or Milan will continue with it once Quit Facebook Day is over.

“I think this was more our own sort of statement and it seems to have turned into a story and a bigger thing, but I don’t think we’re looking to lead a movement or be sort of the spokesmen for people quitting Facebook.”

Wendy Cukier, associate dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto, said Facebook should be concerned that it has some dissatisfied users, in addition to the privacy commissioner suggesting there are problems. However, at this stage, she wouldn’t conclude there’s going to be a mass exodus from the site.

“I think what we’re seeing now is what happens with virtually all technologies,” said Cukier, a professor of information technology management and communications and culture.

“After the period of sort of inflated expectations and hype, people start looking more critically at what the costs really are, what the limitations really are, what it really can do, really can’t do, what the unintended consequences are, etc., and start to bring their expectations more in line with the reality.”

Comments

Jimmy said…
forget FACE BOOK
and TWITTER
and MY SPACE


join www.tagged.com
its a graet place to make friends

yes u heard me right
make friends

first u become friends
then graduate into lovers



and u made it Wally
Jimmy said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jimmy said…
after you answhere my question I will begin to safe my money to come to India .

OK come Gladys. I am longing to meet u
Jimmy said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jimmy said…
I think BLOGGING has paid off for me
here is another one Rose

Sweet and funny is no good Krys
u gotta be hott and randy to attract American girls


but u r Polish
and I have no idea how to make u mine

u wont even give me your fone no
and I been chasing u for God only knows how long
Jimmy said…
u want me to be faith full to u like VEST is
Jimmy said…
Rose
I get the feeling u dont like me chasing other women
Roesemary said…
I have the same Tel/No as vest my hubby. PO.
Jimmy said…
VEST
whats your tel no ?
I have some hott pics u will want to see and hear
DEBBIE said…
Hi Uncle Les,
Great to see the old photos, would love to see some more if you can manage it.
Hope you are all well, John and I have been up and down healthwise, but as you have to, we try to keep smiling through.
The weather here is lovely at present, should reach a comfortable 20 degrees today and tomorrow, but it will be downhill on Sunday, with very heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast. Think we are all going to gather around the bbq tomorrow whilst the sun still shines!
Lyn enjoyed her Birthday, we all met up at the local "Harvester" and decorated the table with balloons and banners for her, she seemed very touched, bless her. She was pleased with the card from you, it arrived on Thursday.
Lots of love to you and Auntie Rose
Deb xxxx
Christine said…
Hi Uncle Les,

What fab pics of you, Auntie Rose and all my lovely cousins (yes, even the little one).

Hope you're well, love to all. xxxxx
R,J Stokes-Honour. said…
Thanks so much for sending all of the lovely photos. Lots of love to you all xxxxxxxxxx Jane.
Eddie Jones. said…
Hello Les
Nice photo of you and Rosemary, you both belie your years. I have just got back off holiday, went to the Peak district. Went to the usual places. went to Chatsworth house. I dont mind looking at ancient history, i do get riled when i see how they lived in the 20th century when my family was starving in london and i went into barnardos at 5 months weighing 4 lbs. keep up the fight for your gold card. The troops are being looked after really well at the moment, most of the money is raised by the public,
Looking to open the military hospitals again.
Chin up Edward jones.
Vest said…
Thanks Eddie.

Eddie went to the same School as I did in 1936.
Memories of hunger, the cane, the cold,misery, the cane and more F cane.

The good old days.
Jimmy said…
Brothers in pain
and langoti dost
Jimmy said…
Hind1. A cloth passed between the thighs, and fastened to a string before and behind.

Langoti-dost, a friend from infancy, from the days when they wore the ...

and they tied each others langoti

langoti dost has seen yours
u cant bull shit him or her
Jimmy said…
I cant imagine my World without BLOGS

at first I used to chat with Keshi and the gang of NRIs

and Keshi graduated to BLOGS and tot me how to blog too

at first I used to have masti blogs only

Now I have 165 business blogs
and I learnt SEO from Caraf

and tqmc is now famous Worldwide
Praise the Lord and KESHI and CARAF
Jimmy said…
Keshi has quit
and Krys too

but I just cant
I will blog on my death bed too
Jimmy said…
Keshi has quit
and Krys too

but I just cant
I will blog on my death bed too
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