Another Facebook Privacy Rant

First, a little perspective. Facebook is not a fundamental right. It isn't a necessity of life. It doesn't even offer a unique service. Given these facts, all of the noise about Facebook's privacy problems seems a little excessive. In particular, the contention that there is something wrong with Facebook's "all or nothing" approach to privacy is silly. Simply put, Facebook can't publish information about you that you don't provide. Don't want people to know where you live? Don't put it on Facebook. If you don't trust them with any of your info opt out.

I also wonder if there isn't enough distinction between personal information and personally identifiable information. For years, retail stores have taken surveys wherein they ask for the customer's phone number when completing a sale. The reason, they'd claim, was to get an idea of the store's geographical demographics. Well, that makes sense until you consider that using a ZIP code would work just as well for such purposes. Both numbers should be considered "personal information". The difference is that a ZIP code may be shared by thousands of people, while a telephone number belongs to a single household or individual. As far as I know, Facebook doesn't release personally identifiable information (such as email or phone number) to non-friends. As for other info, again, if you don't want it known, don't volunteer it.