The governmental Database known as Facebook.

Bah, who actually has accurate information on their profiles anyways? I intentionally obfuscate things.

Hey all, Great thread..

I am a firm believer that Social Networking sites are the work of the Devil...(probably a little extreme, lol).

The majority of these websites are very easy to abuse and even though people do make less information available or provide some false information they still can be used as a primary source of basic information which can then be researched further also using networked resources available on the web, a classic, very good source of information being FreindsReunited.

I found this in a copy of "New Scientist" that i was reading some time ago, it is an interesting take on the Governments possible involvment with Social Networking Data.

New Scientist has discovered that Pentagon's National Security Agency, which specialises in eavesdropping and code-breaking, is funding research into the mass harvesting of the information that people post about themselves on social networks

Link to full article

Have a good day all..

Jake

dude cookies tell everything about your surfing habbits, they are in windows and linux, and the governement records every url that gets visited from a US hub.

you need to understand cookies.

computer.howstuffworks.com...
this is one of my favorites
you can post on someone blog without login if you understand cookies
shiflett.org...

www.hungry-hackers.com...

now if you add a second user to your computer and log in you will be given new cookies for that user.

if you take you computer to a starbucks and use there wireless system you will be given a new cookie.

i use to get hard drives from computers from a friend that worked at a dump.
if you know how to use cookie info you can log on as them and change there passwords.
this is why many site have the cookies expire every few weeks.

on most computers cookies are ever changing and would be hard to track over a period of time.

cookies can be you friend or you enemy if you know how they work and what can be done with them.

the biggest danger with cookies is if your computer dies and you buy a new computer and throw away the old computer with the hard drive still in it and the cookies still on the drive.

if you don't want to be tracked clear you cookies.

reply to post by Spooky Fox Mulder


Indeed I have absolutely nothing to hide. However, that excuse can be used for the implemntation of ID card, DNA databases, CCTV Cameras on every street corner and spyware on your computer.

Hell, why not just install CCTV in our homes, we've got nothing to hide right?

facebook, the reality trogan.

I've never trusted websites you couldn’t view without becoming a member of first, and so have never got an account despite all pressures.

As facebook gained popularity over the years i started to notice the development one of the most rampantly spreading viral marketing campaigns in history. When people were finally away from their screen 'communicating' with friends they would meet and soon be talking about what happened on facebook when they caught up, before asking everyone else in ear-shot to either add them or get an account so they could. Simply put the marketing strategy is prue evil genius, no sales cost with an unmeasurable global coverage virally fisting everyone insight.

It wasn’t until friends were uploading pictures 1hr after a music event when I was shocked to see all the 'cool joys' of face tagging until the full extent and the name started to unwind...

Now if we may take just a moment here to hypothesize;

If you were trying to establish an up to date international facial databank of the global community what would be the most resource hungry parts of the operation?

#1 Up-to-date content acquisition
#2 Cropping faces from pictures
#3 Matching faces to names

Everything else can be automated through hardware and software but these are 3 key parts of the operation that require a human interface in order to reduce input error.

So consider each time you tag a friend or a family member in a photo to ask yourself what advange you gain from this expirence, as there is a high likely hood that you just lost them, as yourself, even more freedom for a mouseover with a name on it.

its called facebook for a reason people, its hiding you in plain sight.

dk

A good point made here, but the government will get the data on you if they really want it. I have had a clearance done to work in my kids school so I imagine on am on record somewhere. I find the site more dangerous for preditors who don't have access to sophisticated search equipment.
My children have accounts and so far so good, but there are so many other places to meet people on the net as well..here, on line games etc.

I have heard that employers are looking up applicants on myspace and facebook and have been denied jobs because of it. They see the party pics or other undesirable traits, to them, and refuse the jobs.

Sorry if this has been covered..tis a long thread.

Funny this thread cropped up. I always put off getting a facebook just becuase it seems like a very addictive and time consuming activity. To be fair, it is fairly usefull in keeping in contact with lots of friends at once, but it isnt for me. I signed up about 2 days ago, the only details of myself, was my name, but even then i didnt like putting in my full name, but you have to as part of the registration process. Added a few friends when i had the time and it's easy to see how it could be manipulated. Some profiles contain way to much info.

After reading a bit of this thread, i tried to delete my account for two reasons.
1. It just seems to time consuming and just a bit of a hastle to keep up to date with it. 2. The reasons in this thread.

When i looked for the delete feature or button, i realised there isnt one. Instead of wiping your account away, you can only 'De-activate' it. And if you sign back in it just re-intiates. So once you sign up and give information, thats it, that info is stored. I wonder why?

Edit - Star and flagged

[edit on 28-9-2008 by The 5th]

Originally posted by The 5th
When i looked for the delete feature or button, i realised there isnt one. Instead of wiping your account away, you can only 'De-activate' it. And if you sign back in it just re-intiates. So once you sign up and give information, thats it, that info is stored. I wonder why?

I looked into this and found the same thing rather irritating. You simply cannt delete you account, like many other services out there allow you to. This give m the impression that your information IS STILL BEING USED for marketing or "other means", even when you are no longer a member (or having a permanent holiday in their case)

For a family members account, we changed the name to a fake one (Facebook hints at this being almost illegal!), changed the address, killed the friends list, changed email address, uploaded a fat chinese bloke onto the photos section and then deactivated the account.

I think you are talking about the Investigative DataWarehouse

en.wikipedia.org...

has information on many people, lots of information at that, and is only accessible by tens of thousands of operatives.

i do not have face pook , my spaz or any other ` social ` website

maybee thats cos i am antisocial

i do have freinds reunited [ an alumni database ] but hey the govt already know where i went to school , and my carrer details etc

Thats so insane,the fricken government knows so much its unbelievable.I mean if they didnt like you they could erase you from every single data base in the world and nobody would know who you are.Pretty creepy if you ask me?

Originally posted by zorgon

Originally posted by Spooky Fox Mulder

Do you have anything to hide?

No

So then why are you so afraid of the Facebook?

If you don't have anything to hide, Dear zorgon, you should not object to the Facebook so strongly as you do here.

You give off an impression that you do have something to hide

reply to post by Spooky Fox Mulder


Please refer to:

Nothing To Hide? CCTV In Your Home Then!

It deals with the senseless "nothing to hide" argument.

[edit on 28-9-2008 by dodgygeeza]

reply to post by Spooky Fox Mulder


Please refer to the thread i created that dodgygeezer linked above.

However you miss the point that some have made, that ID thieves are now using websites like facebook to steal identities frm the comfort of their armchairs. The BBC panorama programme did a whole story on it, at least i think it was panorama. Using public databases, and sites like facebook to pick up those little personal details you can't find on databses, they stole identites.

That's what people don't get, facebok gives those little details that might be hard to get. It gives those extra few details that make it easier to request someones national insurance number for example.

reply to post by bricmpt



Quite right and don't forget that we have profiles here too.

Originally posted by Spooky Fox Mulder
So then why are you so afraid of the Facebook?

Never even heard of Facebook till this thread.... and the DoD has already spent three days 'chatting' with me and John

The only thing I currently have underwraps is the stealth coating... but they are cool with that

in the uk if you want a driving licence you have to submit a photo of yourself, so "they" have your photo straight away! any bank account/credit card you apply for you need i.d. so what do you use? driving licence or passport amongst others, so then "they" know you banking details and where you work, what money you spend where inc. what you buy (in the case of a credit card). if they check your council tax they can find out who your neighbours are, what school you kids might go to, what car you might drive...
lets face it, if any governments want your piccy or any other details about you they can get it without resorting to facebook et al.

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
Using public databases, and sites like facebook to pick up those little personal details you can't find on databses, they stole identites.

Well I am sure other areas have a similar service but here in Las Vegas we have the County Assessor's Office has the Southern Nevada GIS Openweb Info Mapper

gisgate.co.clark.nv.us...

If you have a persons name... that lives anywhere in Las Vegas just punch it in and see just how much info there is... (you need pop up enabled on this site)

Use this as a sample... 17701502004

Put it in the "Specific Parcel" box... select "Aerial View" click "Draw Map"

Then click on the property

This is "Shenandoah", Wayne Newton's estate

reply to post by zorgon


And the point you're trying to make? Facebook and such sites provide information that isn't available publicly in the UK. Stupid things can be found on their.

The point being that anyone using facebook, telling everyone where they've been lately, their favorite book, their previous work history, phone number, post code etc etc is basically setting themselves up for an easy ID theft target.

I think some other people bought up good points also. The fact that employers and universities are regularly checking these sites to check applicants. I wonder if this will become so mainstream that not having a profile will actually stop you getting a job? I remember hearing about a guy applying for a managment job (think this was also the BBC) who didn't get it because he was in to S&M and it was on his myspace profile.

Putting your details online is just asking for a great deal of trouble. ID theft alone is enough to keep me away from such sites.

Edit

By the way, i had no clue who Wayne Newton was, had to google it. Lol sorry i'm English, cultural difference maybe

[edit on 28-9-2008 by ImaginaryReality1984]

OP, I never really thought about this before.

Government aside, because I don't know why they would find such a keen intrest with me on facebook, but lets say you made enemies ... or had a stalker.. or just some crazy idiot that wanted to kill or kidnap you... I can just see it been so easy.... like if you know someone called Dan Smith on your profile friends, someone else could use the same picture and call himself Daniel smith and make a new account too add you as friends.. you'd natutally think it was your friend making a new account (he could cover for it saying something like oh i forgot my password) and they'd have all access to your life... all the details etc... its just a scary thought.. maybe im thinking too much .

Its just... they say all this stuff about internet privacy, and yet sites like facebook throw it all out the window... all my friends spot out girls they like on facebook and arrange too meet them, of course non of my freinds are killers or rapists... but if its so easy for them... then how hard would it be for those kind of people?

all that been said... i use facebook daily and have a habit of changing my profile picture around 4 times a day. Heh. brilliant post, pointed out something