> Privacy and Facebook are serious issues. It's irresponsible and unhelpful to report on them like this.<p>As the post points out, this is done for pageviews or for karma mongering. What I find interesting is that my (and from others, too) posts that are critical of the media brouhaha over FB privacy issues quickly get downvoted on HN. Do you know how FB privacy controls stack up with GMail, LinkedIn, Plaxo or others, e.g. what URL does GMail forward to an advertiser when you click on a link in the sidebar? Can anyone enlighten us on these matters with hard facts, rather than creating another anecdotal post about how their even non-tech savvy friends are now so worried.<p>I'm not an expert on these privacy matters, so my approach is simple. I approach <i>all</i> companies that have my personal information with caution, including not only FB but Google. Unfortunately, in some cases there's nothing you can do, there's a service you need despite the potential security risks.<p>I wonder what your family members, who are now so worried about FB, would think if they knew that gas and electric utility companies routinely sell their personal information to junk mail spammers because they are "public records" (if you're in the US, go ahead and search your name on <a href="http://www.peoplelookup.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.peoplelookup.com</a>, it's a chilling experience)
"We've emailed both writers to ask for clarification in the event that they are in fact referring to something else, but haven't heard back from them yet. "<p>And, as the updates show, they were indeed referring to something else.<p>Rushed article to cash in on hype.