Up date your FaceBook Status?

I thought I had heard everything when the LA Times published a story about an escaped prisoner who updated his dash to freedom on his FaceBook status.  He gave police a moment by moment, status by status, account of his run and was arrested at his mother's house after FaceBooking his intent to go and see her.  Have we found the intelligence level of a "modern day socially networked criminal"? 

This following a story about the "Bling Ring". This is a group of Calabasas teenagers who stole expensive jewelery worn by young celebrities. The gang knew which celebrities owned the bling from seeing  their "red carpet" pictures posted on the Internet.  By following their activities on Twitter, FaceBook and TMZ, the bling ring knew when a celebrity would be attending a high profile event.  That is the night they chose to rob their house, an address they got off the Internet.

It's not the fact that some people may be totally uninterested in what you post on FaceBook, the problem is... you don't know who might  *really* be interested in what you post on FaceBook.  Just so we're all clear, everyone knows these "social networking" sites are very public?  Right?  We've seen that show "To Catch a Preditor " with Chris Hanson on Dateline NBC?  Everyone agreed? These sites are being "trolled" by lots of people you wouldn't want to "friend",  Right?

Now think about this. The number of people who have access to your online information has just grown exponentially.  It was a corporate decision that didn't involve your permission. 

 As of Friday, March 26, 2010, 3:04 p.m. PDT,  FaceBook is allowing information about you to be automatically shared with other websites.  It is a major change in the way your FaceBook information is dispersed.  It wasn't voted on by the members, it was just a policy change, an executive decision. Here is an excerpt of the new policy:

Pre-Approved Third-Party Websites and Applications. In order to provide you with useful social experiences off of Facebook, we occasionally need to provide General Information about you to pre-approved third party websites and applications.....*

My friend David Sinkler found a blog about it at *Between the Lines posted by Larry Dignan.   FaceBook has grown in membership by 82% in the last two years.  The more people, the more information, the more value to FaceBook and less privacy for anyone.  It is a cautionary tale.  Don't think that any company is above using valuable information for private profit. In the words of President Obama, "Be careful what you post on FaceBook."
(Documented and fact checked by Walter Helmhurst - Ed.)

As you were,
Jay