Tech: When FB friend reqs become sinister...

Subject: RE: Tech: When FB friend reqs become sinister...
From: bfdk
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 04:16 AM

I came across this piece of news yesterday, and I must admit I find it rather sinister, having always been very private about whom I share what information with.

In combination with the other new feature, where you can no longer block, but merely 'postpone', accepting a friend's request, I see loads of possibilities for various kinds of abuse. The Danish article where I first found the information states that the features haven't as yet been introduced here, but are expected to be in the near future. It should, however, be up and running in the USA already.

Does anybody have any experience with these new features? I'm of a mind to close my account completely, if I can no longer control who has access to my information.

Best wishes,

Bente

Subject: RE: Tech: When FB friend reqs become sinister...
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 04:42 AM

C-Flat: I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as though eavesdropping, and decided to un-invite myself from these exchanges.
As a parent it's a great temptation to go prying, especially when teenagers can be so uncommunicative, but I decided that I prefer not to know, or at least not to find out by snooping.

I'm "friended" with one of my daughters, but not with my son (who doesn't use FB) or my other daughter (who uses it but prefers not to have me as a "friend". However, the daughter I'm friends with has set her security levels with me so that I can only see wall posts between her and me, and the explicit and foul-mouthed banter she has with other 18-21 year olds is invisible to me. Except that one of her friends who also friended me initially didnt set her settings to match, so I got a few rounds of some stuff I'd rather not have read until she got her security sorted out :-)

I have no problem with having relative youngsters as friends. Most of my climbing partners are in their late 20s and 30s, and some of the people I enjoy interacting with on the local music scene are in the 18-21 bracket. I'd draw the line at friending under 16s who are not relatives. I don't have ANY work colleagues as friends, though several former colleagues are...I socialise to a very limited extent with work colleagues. I've seen too many near contemporaries who bound up their social lives with work colleagues and were absolutely bereft when they retired!

Subject: RE: Tech: When FB friend reqs become sinister...
From: C-flat
Date: 23 Sep 10 - 05:00 AM

Rob,
That's a useful tip. Thanks.
I'm not too familiar with the security-settings options but I'm sure I can ask my daughter to investigate.
C-flat