Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 5, 2008 6:49:10 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Back to the grid

This Way Out? Not Really

Posted Feb 11, 08 11:35 AM CST in Arts & Living,  Technology    Most Covered

(Newser) – Just when you think you're out, Facebook pulls you back in, say wannabe ex-users who have tried in vain to delete their profiles. The site keeps archives of all profiles, unless they're manually deleted piece by piece, fanning privacy concerns already stoked by the Beacon fiasco. “It’s like the Hotel California,” one unwilling member told the New York Times. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

That member could still be contacted through the site even after Facebook deleted most of his profile in response to an email threatening legal action. Another user said Facebook erased his profile only after he complained to the press, a UK government office, and a privacy organization. Other social networking and dating sites, in contrast, offer full-delete options.

Source New York Times

Editor Recommended

Related News

  • Facebook to Ask Users to Specify Gender

    Jun 27, 08 3:15 PM CDT
    Facebook to Ask Users to Specify Gender Facebook announced a seemingly minor change today: Users will soon be prompted to specify a gender for their “mini-feed” updates. The site has been using the awkward “themself” to avoid gender specificity, but Facebook managers say that doesn’t work so well when the site is translated into languages that ingrain gender into grammar, CNET eports. More »

  • When Is A Facebook Friend Just A Friend?

    Jun 27, 08 8:12 AM CDT
    When Is A Facebook Friend Just A Friend? There’s a movement among some social Web services, from MySpace and Yahoo to Plaxo, to let users share data, the MIT Technology Review reports. Take Google’s new Friend Connect, a service that lets users transport profiles and connections among sites. But Facebook, for one, is swimming against the tide, working to control its users’ data and arguing that control protects their privacy. More »

  • Facebook Just 'Flavor of the Month': Murdoch

    Jun 23, 08 3:11 PM CDT
    Facebook Just 'Flavor of the Month': Murdoch Rupert Murdoch today insulted the rival of his popular MySpace, calling Facebook the “flavor of the month” and a mere “directory”—on the occasion of his social networking sinking to the No. 2 spot in worldwide traffic. The media mogul said Facebook was not a real social network, and pointed to MySpace’s entertainment focus, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. More »

  • LinkedIn Scores $53M in Capital, $1B Value

    Jun 18, 08 8:48 AM CDT
    LinkedIn Scores $53M in Capital, $1B Value LinkedIn—the buttoned-down, anti-Facebook social networking site for professionals—is about to up its profile with a $53 million infusion of private equity that will allow it to make acquisitions and expand its reach overseas, reports the New York Times. The new financing values the company at a hefty $1 billion, in between the $580 million News Corp. paid for MySpace in 2005 and the $15 billion value assigned to Facebook last year when Microsoft bought a stake.
    More »

  • Networks Social Indeed, But Ad Dollars Remain Elusive

    Jun 16, 08 10:07 AM CDT
    Networks Social Indeed, But Ad Dollars Remain Elusive A makeover planned to begin Wednesday for MySpace is the latest sign of the continued struggle to make social networking the cash cow many thought it would be when News Corp. bought the site three years ago, the New York Times reports. MySpace's user base has grown from 16 million to more than 118 million since—but still falling short of profit targets. More »

Facebook.com's mastermind, Mark Zuckerberg smiles at his office in Palo Alto, Calif., Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. Facebook Inc. has overhauled a new advertising system that sparked privacy complaints by turning...   (Associated Press)
Facebook.com's mastermind, Mark Zuckerberg smiles at his office in Palo Alto, Calif. in this Feb. 5, 2007 file photo. Rapidly rising Internet star Facebook Inc. has sold a 1.6 percent stake to Microsoft...   (Associated Press)
Facebook.com's mastermind Mark Zuckerberg smiles at his office in Palo Alto, Calif. in this Feb. 5, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)   (Associated Press)
prev    next
play

Threads (1 of 4)

Tags

Facebook  • social networking  • online privacy  • Beacon


Loading...

Loading...

Related Threads: Social Networking, Facebook Nation, Big Brother Is Watching, Internet News

Next story from this section »

Today's Most Popular


Other Technology Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »