A few days ago, I saw a few people post a public Facebook message about how they wanted to keep their news and photos 
private. And that I had to change my settings so my liking or commenting on such content wouldn’t go public across Facebook.
Also last week, Facebook had a big oopsie, when their special New Year’s Eve pre-loaded messaging feature would have allowed people to delete other people’s private messages.
So, if I may, here are five facts to be aware of:
> Facebook is a website and a business.
> Websites break from time to time. Things happen.
> As a business, Facebook is not a public utility or government agency that is beholden to upholding the public trust.
> Nothing you put on Facebook is private. It’s going to at least one other person.
> The functionality of Facebook promotes social sharing. If you don’t want something shared socially, Facebook may not be the communication vehicle you need.
There’s an old saying that if you can’t stand the heat, move away from the fire.
If you are overly-concerned about the content you put on Facebook getting into unintended hands, don’t put it on Facebook.
If you don’t want Facebook not to have certain information about you, don’t give it to them.
There are countless other ways to get messages to people – but realize that all of them, from e-mail to carrier pigeon to Morse Code, all have some sort of privacy flaw.
I hope that this is the final conversation about Facebook privacy. I know it won’t be, but I can still hope.
(Mar…
I think the problem most people have with Facebook, if they think beyond "I WANT MY PICTURES TO BE PRIVATE!", is they're actually upset with the communication from Facebook on privacy issues. Without trying to be TOO self-promotional, I wrote a post that (I think) marries well with this one about G+ overtaking Facebook as the dominant social network by 2016. Google is no different Facebook as far as its policies, but it has been much more forthcoming in what those polices are, and what they do. If you piss enough people off, you drive them away.
http://prbreakfastclub.com/2013/01/04/could-google-overtake-facebook-by-2016/