Yes, we all know how Scoble got kicked off Facebook and now he’s back up. Some people think he was wrong, others think he had the right. Personally, I hate Facebook. But I also think that Scoble was wrong to harvest user information. In that sense I agree with Jeff, Nicholas and Jack. But the point they miss, and Nicholas only glosses over, is that any shared data is “transportable.”
The argument is that,
“Facebook has an obligation to protect the data entrusted to it by its members. At the very least, members should have the right to decide whether or not their personal information can be scraped out of the Facebook database. Scoble did not give them that choice.”
I agree that Scoble was in the wrong. But we must always remember that these users voluntarily chose to give Scoble their information in the first place. He didn’t coerce them. He didn’t hack their accounts. They gave him their names, email addresses and birthdays. The fact that automated scraping tools exist (and always will) is inconsequential. Scoble (or anyone with an inclination) could just as easily sit down and cut and paste all that information manually. The information, once made available through your “friends” network is quite literally up for grabs.
Was Scoble wrong? Possibly. But we need to remember two things: 1) Facebook has been scraping user data from day one and will continue to as long as it serves their purpose and puts money in the bank. 2) The person who is responsible for the protection of your information is you. Don’t try to schlep that task off on a third party. If you’re afraid of your information being scraped from Facebook then don’t share it in the first place.
The methods may become more efficient, but the means for exploitation will always exist when people share information with other people.
