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The Godfather · Jan 16, 2010, 07:22 PM

I sure would like to have a few millions of my tax dollars to close down some very annoying IT practices done in the name of spamming all of us.

P.S. This is not a U.S. centric comment.

turtle777 · Jan 16, 2010, 07:24 PM

Uhm, could you please elaborate. I'm not quite sure what you are talking about.

Links ?

-t

The Godfather · Jan 16, 2010, 07:31 PM

No links needed.

The millions of Facebook users are being asked to trust Facebook with their personal email and password.

Facebook very informally promises to use it to log in to your email, get your email contacts, and get out. This is their "Friend Finder" feature.

Anybody with half a neuron knows not to share their password. Anybody with a sense of responsibility will have in their best interest to shut down Facebook's behavior, which amounts to phising from any angle you look at it.

Doofy · Jan 16, 2010, 07:40 PM

So, you want to pay tax in order to stop people from being morons? Good luck with that.

The Godfather · Jan 16, 2010, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

So, you want to pay tax in order to stop people from being morons? Good luck with that.

Not all 300 millions of us, only Facebook's board of directors.

Doofy · Jan 16, 2010, 08:08 PM

Shouldn't you be starting a Facebook group about this or something?

turtle777 · Jan 16, 2010, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

So, you want to pay tax in order to stop people from being morons? Good luck with that.

My thinking exactly.

-t

Railroader · Jan 16, 2010, 08:41 PM

You guys didn't set up a gmail account just for facebook?!?

Idiot tax indeed.

turtle777 · Jan 16, 2010, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by Railroader

You guys didn't set up a gmail account just for facebook?!?

Idiot tax indeed.

I don't get how that is relevant.

-t

Railroader · Jan 16, 2010, 11:19 PM

People who are trusting their email passwords to facebook deserve what happens to them.

Wiskedjak · Jan 16, 2010, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

No links needed.

The millions of Facebook users are being asked to trust Facebook with their personal email and password.

Facebook very informally promises to use it to log in to your email, get your email contacts, and get out. This is their "Friend Finder" feature.

Anybody with half a neuron knows not to share their password. Anybody with a sense of responsibility will have in their best interest to shut down Facebook's behavior, which amounts to phising from any angle you look at it.

This is hardly unique to Facebook. If you're worried about Facebook, take a look at Mint.

turtle777 · Jan 17, 2010, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

People who are trusting their email passwords to facebook deserve what happens to them.

And what does that have to do with Gmail ?

-t

Chuckit · Jan 17, 2010, 01:04 AM

It's even worse than that. Did you know Google stores of all your Gmail contacts for as long as they're in your account? It even records the contents of your emails! I've heard Yahoo engages in similar practices. Makes Facebook look pretty benign, huh?

turtle777 · Jan 17, 2010, 01:36 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

It's even worse than that. Did you know Google stores of all your Gmail contacts for as long as they're in your account? It even records the contents of your emails! I've heard Yahoo engages in similar practices. Makes Facebook look pretty benign, huh?

Well yeah.

If that's what Railroader was hinting at, fine.

-t

Chuckit · Jan 17, 2010, 02:30 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Well yeah.

If that's what Railroader was hinting at, fine.

-t

Oh, no. I was just responding to the thread topic in general. I don't think Railroader meant Gmail in particular was relevant. He just meant that he sets up a dedicated email account for Facebook, with Gmail being an example of a popular free provider.

turtle777 · Jan 17, 2010, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

He just meant that he sets up a dedicated email account for Facebook, with Gmail being an example of a popular free provider.

That's what I thought, but to me, that's irrelevant.

You normally don't share your email password with just any web app, so it doesn't matter if it's a dummy account or your real account. If you don't share your password, you are as save using your primary email provider as it is using Gmail.

Now, IF you are stupid enough to wanna take advantage of friend finder, what good does it do to use a dummy account ?
There will be no "harvestable" information in it, because your friends will not email to your dummy account.

-t

Doofy · Jan 17, 2010, 09:38 AM

I find it much easier to do what I do: Have a bunch of friends who have no interest in online social networking. This way, you don't even have to bother getting a Facebook account in the first place - you simply need to know how to operate a telephone.