The forum posts that are created here in this forum are all public. Everyone can see them... That said, if we feel uncomfortable that I post links to forum posts on the forum facebook page, I can stop doing so... maybe I can only post links to the forum blog?
Example:
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/rain-gear-recommendations/
Please let me know what you think...
Saludos,
Ivar
Ivar:
First, Happy New Year to you and to all the forum!
Second, I understand all of this issue fairly well having worked with advanced technology for most of my professional career. I am also aware from direct professional experience that national and local law enforcement, national intelligence, and large corporate organizations from around the world continually monitor and shift through all social media sites on a 24 x 7 basis and have done so for a decade or more. Global governmental monitoring and data-mining started worldwide as soon as these sites went on line. It is all part of the hugely complex job of pieceing together a jig-saw puzzle to try to ascertain then predict what the "other fellow" is seeking to do.
What is distills down to for me is this. I maintain a skeletal presence on Facebook only so I can keep up with the goings on of nieces, nephews and other younger friends from around the world who seem to live their entire lives in this social media. I do not use an actual avatar so facial recognition software will not work.
My friends and relatives rarely check e-mail anymore, preferring the instantaneous feedback from social media like Facebook. So, if I want to know who is where, and doing what, and with whom, I must consult Facebook. But, my interactions are few and mostly read-only.
I maintain a very slim profile and nil personal information on Facebook and have my privacy options set so only Facebook "friends" can see anything personal. I do not share ANY private information that is not otherwise available. I recommend that others of like mind go to their Facebook settings and learn how to do the same.
It infuriates the people Facebook is trying to sell personal information to for marketing and other purposes, but it may cut down on your e-mail spam. Where DO you think they get your e-mail address anyway? Not all spam comes from illegal hacking. There is a HUGE behind-the-scenes aftermarket in selling contact information to marketers. Before computers, people would by mailing lists from your motor vehicle agency and telephone company. No, it is all done electronically.
Most of us, including me, usually do not read the really fine print when we use the internet. But buried deep in the language whenever you register for any site, service, company, etc. is a clause that gives the provider of the service your implied permission to give out everything about you, unless you opt out.
So, find out how to opt out of third-party data-sharing, and do so. This will be site-specific. This will not stop your national police or intelligence services. They have access to almost everything anyway - seriously they do - and have done for years. But, it will slow down the commercial side of things, from whence all the annoying stuff and fraud comes.
CONVERSELY, I share a LOT MORE with my extended "Camino Family" here in the forum. I write things for them that I would NEVER write on Facebook. The reason is simple. On the Camino Forum, the great majority of people I am sharing with are like-minded. We have shared a life-altering experience or are seeking to. This forum gives us an opportunity to share our inner-most, private thoughts with our "Family." I certainly do not want these posts to show up in Bing or Google searches. I trust that this forum and the members of my extended "Camino Family" are not data mining for commercial or other purposes.
Although I am well aware that this forum is public and anonymous guests can read anything, I would much prefer revealing as little of "my onion" to the world (writ global) through Facebook or other social media. If you must post personal posts from this forum to Facebook, I recommend two things that may be possible for you to sort out:
1. Strip the posters user's name and avatar from the material posted to Facebook, providing only - say an alphanumeric code for the original poster.
2. Do not repeat the posts in full, as they sometimes contain proper names. These names can spawn further social media or Google searches. Why give the buggers a head-start? I recommend posting only the link to the post you refer to. Is there anyway to place these posts in a separate, fire-walled place so Facebook-originating readers cannot wander all over the forum, peeking into user profiles and the like?
Stated otherwise, I am seeking for you to REDACT the original authorship of the post once it leaves your direct control in the forum. Yes, I know that there are people out there who can see through this thin veil of secrecy - hacking. But we need to start somewhere. If for no other reason than to appeal to those of us who do not like social media, per se.
Separately, another security feature you might think about is only allowing registered users, who have provided full true names and contact information in their personal profiles access to anyone else's profiles. I do not mind sharing this with other "Camino Family" members, but again, I do not want it available to third-parties coming in from social media, or from any other portal.
Thanks for listening.
