A Warning (Real) About Facebook, NJ Users Need to Know

👍   Facebook is Making a Change to Their Terms of Service

👍   If You Use Facebook, You Are Giving Consent

👍   Only Way to Opt-Out is to Not Use Facebook

We've all seen our friends' posts on social media.

The posts that announce how they do not give Facebook permission to use their pictures and posts for any purpose, blah, blah, blah.

Nearly every one of those posts refers to non-existent rule changes.

Ironically, Facebook has made a change to its terms of use that will go into effect on January 1, and I haven't seen any posts about it.

The first thing I want to point out is that as the adage goes, nothing is free.

In this case, we aren't paying cash to use Facebook and other social platforms, but in a way, we are bartering with the platforms to use their sites.

Instead of cash, we're paying with data.

The social platforms use information about your online habits by selling that information to various marketing firms.

There is no way around it.  If you want to use Facebook, you give them permission to use your information.

As stated in the very first paragraph of their terms of service (I'll bet you never read these),

These Terms therefore constitute an agreement between you and Meta Platforms, Inc. If you do not agree to these Terms, then do not access or use Facebook or the other products and services covered by these Terms.

Interestingly, if YOU want to gather data from Facebook for commercial purposes, that is prohibited,

You may not access or collect data from our Products using automated means (without our prior permission) or attempt to access data you do not have permission to access, regardless of whether such automated access or collection is undertaken while logged-in to a Facebook account.

No doubt, our Facebook feeds will soon be flooded with posts from people who "do not give Facebook permission to use their information."

If you use Facebook, they are using your information.

Here's a way to look at this.

These days, we're being tracked everywhere we go.

There's no way around it.

You may not be able to eliminate trackers, you can protect yourself by being careful what you share.

Don't share anything you don't want the world to see.  Remember, once you post something online, it's nearly impossible to completely delete it.

Source:  Social Media Today