Facebook have removed search profile privacy

snips86x

snips86x

snips86x

Soldato
Joined
14 Nov 2012
Posts
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Location
Chesterfield
Now I know this is old news, but I only realized it was removed about 6 months ago. I liked that my profile was hidden and I find it a disgusting move by Facebook. For the first time since I joined, I'm actually considering deactivating my account, but keeping messenger.

Facebook got a lot of backlash over this and its a shame its not been reinstated, I'd welcome it for sure. Especially in a day and age where online privacy is a prevalent topic, it feels rather underhanded.

Has anyone else deactivated their account or thought about it with this feature being removed?
 
I deleted my Facebook account a few mths back and its the best thing I’ve ever done.

Facebook doesn’t give a flying hoot about your privacy one single bit. Anyone who thinks otherwise...well that’s ignorance at its best.
 
I wish a service would just exist to connect people and that be enough, even if you don't have an account they just create a shadow, there's no escaping it.
 
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best way to leave facebook is gradually. Don't go cold turkey. Most come back.
Just start removing your 'friends' over a couple of years till it becomes pointless.
 
Yas786 said:
I deleted my Facebook account a few mths back and its the best thing I’ve ever done.
Facebook doesn’t give a flying hoot about your privacy one single bit. Anyone who thinks otherwise...well that’s ignorance at its best.
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Oh I'm fully aware they don't care one little bit, or this would never have happened in the first place.

StriderX said:
I wish a service would just exist to connect people and that be enough, even if you don't have account they just create a shadow, there's no escaping it.
Click to expand...

If only

TheOracle said:
best way to leave facebook is gradually. Don't go cold turkey. Most come back.
Just start removing your 'friends' over a couple of years till it becomes pointless.
Click to expand...

I probably won't delete my account as I have friends and family who I chat you on messaged (and the Mrs). Yes, we could move to WA but messenger works for the time being. I'll just deactivate it.

What really gets me is the sheer number of adverts now. Back when it started, it was just a basic social lightweight platform. Now it's just a mess of adverts, lack of privacy and no control over what you see. I'm loathed to delete it 100% really as I've uploaded a fair few pictures on it...so might keep it up and decide what to do later down the line.
 
Does it really matter in this day and age, maybe 20 years ago but nowadays you can find out so much about anyone with or without fb.
 
Feek said:
What are you talking about? My profile is still private.
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Is it though? In 2016 a news article was released advising that, for users who hadn't used it for 1yr it'd be removed and then removed for everyone a while later.

I had mine set to 'do not search' a d that setting no longer exists.
 
I came off Facebook over a year ago and aside from the occasional comment from someone saying "did you see X on Facebook?" I have not looked back.

I actually talk to my friends now on the phone quite frequently.
 
snips86x said:
[..] Facebook got a lot of backlash over this and its a shame its not been reinstated, I'd welcome it for sure. Especially in a day and age where online privacy is a prevalent topic, it feels rather underhanded.
Click to expand...

Why would an organisation that exists solely for the purpose of acquiring as much information as possible on as many people as possible ever allow any more privacy and security than they are forced to do? The entire existence of Facebook is underhanded - they're a spying business passing themselves off as a media business - but the occasional and diminishing care for privacy and security sometimes spikes enough for Facebook to need to be more underhanded than usual. It's not just Facebook, of course, they're just currently the best known spying business.

Always assume it will get worse. Anyone who can remember even 20 years ago can testify to that. The removal of privacy and security has seen an extraordinary rate of success since spying businesses and governments succeeded in making privacy and security increasingly unfashionable and increasingly stigmatised. You will see a degree of surveillance far beyond that imagined in dystopian fiction of the past and you will see it soon. Constant personal location monitoring and constant audio surveillance inside people's homes is already normal.
 
I have totally removed FB for my actual life but it's useful for my work life so I've kept that side. I'd remove it all in a heartbeat if it wasn't for that. I hate it, I hate MZ and I hate the company. Same mostly goes for Instagram.
 
Angilion said:
Why would an organisation that exists solely for the purpose of acquiring as much information as possible on as many people as possible ever allow any more privacy and security than they are forced to do? The entire existence of Facebook is underhanded - they're a spying business passing themselves off as a media business - but the occasional and diminishing care for privacy and security sometimes spikes enough for Facebook to need to be more underhanded than usual. It's not just Facebook, of course, they're just currently the best known spying business.

Always assume it will get worse. Anyone who can remember even 20 years ago can testify to that. The removal of privacy and security has seen an extraordinary rate of success since spying businesses and governments succeeded in making privacy and security increasingly unfashionable and increasingly stigmatised. You will see a degree of surveillance far beyond that imagined in dystopian fiction of the past and you will see it soon. Constant personal location monitoring and constant audio surveillance inside people's homes is already normal.
Click to expand...

When you put it like that, it's quite a scary thought but hardly surprising if that turned out to be the underlying truth about Facebook. Considering all the changes that have been made over the years, and adding Cambridge Analytica into the mix, you might be right - I'd just never thought of it like that.
 
Yas786 said:
I deleted my Facebook account a few mths back and its the best thing I’ve ever done.

Facebook doesn’t give a flying hoot about your privacy one single bit. Anyone who thinks otherwise...well that’s ignorance at its best.
Click to expand...

Did the same thing, started with removing the apps from my phone (I found I had been wasting a lot of time on them) and a month later deleted my facebook and instagram accounts.

I much prefer catching up with my friends now as interaction feels a lot more genuine.
 
Edrof said:
I have totally removed FB for my actual life but it's useful for my work life so I've kept that side. I'd remove it all in a heartbeat if it wasn't for that. I hate it, I hate MZ and I hate the company. Same mostly goes for Instagram.
Click to expand...

I’m the same. I get a lot of business through Facebook so need to keep my account for that sole purpose.
 
Angilion said:
Why would an organisation that exists solely for the purpose of acquiring as much information as possible on as many people as possible ever allow any more privacy and security than they are forced to do? The entire existence of Facebook is underhanded - they're a spying business passing themselves off as a media business - but the occasional and diminishing care for privacy and security sometimes spikes enough for Facebook to need to be more underhanded than usual. It's not just Facebook, of course, they're just currently the best known spying business.

Always assume it will get worse. Anyone who can remember even 20 years ago can testify to that. The removal of privacy and security has seen an extraordinary rate of success since spying businesses and governments succeeded in making privacy and security increasingly unfashionable and increasingly stigmatised. You will see a degree of surveillance far beyond that imagined in dystopian fiction of the past and you will see it soon. Constant personal location monitoring and constant audio surveillance inside people's homes is already normal.
Click to expand...
I completely agree. I don't use FB although I do have an account for a couple of reunion groups. I won't install it on my phone though. But the amount of data collection across the board is incredible. Not just FB. I've gradually started to move away from Google products, already use Linux, and am probably going to get a VPN to limit as much collection as possible. My use of Android is a problem and the only real solution is to move to an iPhone instead. But I'm not sure whether that's a complete solution either. I'm not tin foil hat enough to get rid of a smartphone but I do want to limit it in areas I can. Youtube is a problem because it's linked to Google. But once I stop using gmail then I can probably just create a completely new account just for that.

I was one of the archetypal micro computer geeks and an early technology adopter. But the direction we are going in is quite scary. There is face recognition in some parts of London and I can see a cashless society and completely automated cars in my lifetime. Once they arrive then your every movement will be tracked and may even be blocked if you don't have enough social credit (such as one particular country already does).

Scary times, but we all just accept too much surveillance in exchange for the shiny shiny things technology brings us.
 
Talking of the amount of data collected by Facebook, after I deleted the app from my phone and tablet, I’ve been accessing Facebook via a web browser. The length of time it takes for the web page to load is unbelievable. It’s like trying to load a graphics heavy page on a 33.6 modem. Most pages will load in seconds but Facebook is always over the 10 second mark.
 
I still have a facebook account, but it's simply used as a glorified news feed for a few news websites & somewhere for family to post updates.

The trick to using facebook is not using it serious or caring about it (not putting anything important on it).
 
I deactivated my FB just over 18 months ago. Best thing I ever did and I didn't miss it one bit.

However, this week, I reactivated my account. Only because I have a big move imminent and would like to use it as a way took keep in touch. I can't believe how full of guff it is now compared to 18 months ago - content from my friends as well as the sheer number of adverts. It's making me think those who are closest to me already have my mobile number so might as well delete my account entirely.
 
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