Facebook Privacy Policy Summarized

As the latest Facebook Privacy Protection hoax goes slightly viral on many Facebook walls I'm again wondering why people, who supposedly care about their privacy, actually use the site.

The latest hoax, that you're supposed to post to your Facebook wall at least once in order to be covered by what it claims to protect, reads like this:

In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, personal or professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).

For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!
(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws. By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook's direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).

Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updates...

The hoax began as a response to Facebook's recent decision to not allow users to vote on changes to their Governing Documents (however you can still give them feedback). With supposedly far less than 1% of the Facebook community actually taking the time to vote on policy changes, it seems fair enough to me to drop the vote altogether.

I'm sure if Facebook actually did change their policies to something truly evil we'd know about it pretty fast. No doubt there would be petitions and Facebook pages dedicated to bringing the company's moral compass back into the light.

As it stands less than 1% of people using Facebook care enough to even vote when they have the opportunity. Though it would not surprise me if more than 1% of Facebook fell for the hoax and posted the above to their wall. Way to go! Support something that won't protect your privacy but completely ignore a chance to vote on the issue, and maybe make a minuscule difference to something you supposedly care about.

When the issue of Privacy and Facebook comes up it is continually highlighted, by those who are at least smart enough to question if something's not legit, that when you signed up to Facebook, you agreed to be bound by their privacy terms - which are subject to change at any time by Facebook.

To save you some time, if you haven't read the Facebook privacy terms, I've summarized them for you below in two simple sentences that you can learn and recite:

Facebook Privacy Policy Agreement.

We will use your information how we please.
Delete your account if you are not pleased.

That's really what a policy that can be modified at any time boils down to.

If you really care about your privacy on Facebook then learn how to use the tools they provide to set the privacy levels on your content... and use them.

Keep up to date with Facebook announcements on changes to any of their governing documents designed to protect your information and to let you know what Facebook will use it for. If, at anytime, you feel they've overstepped the mark then let them know - you probably won't be alone on the issue.

Don't waste your time posting meaningless legal crap to your wall. A status update is not a legal document no matter what you write in it. Well not unless Facebook themselves also agrees to be bound by the terms in your status update.

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