would be happy to see this discussion split into an Ask HN: or other, I think this topic should be debated quite a bit more than it is with the goal of attaining real results on fixing these issues.
unfortunately I do not think that more people doing that will solve the root of the problem... only try to treat a symptom.
If enough people decide to turn their backs on FB (or any other company doing things like this), there will be a market for better solutions.
It needs time.
Nothing is free.
Facebook continues to do good for people. Twitter as well. These are invaluable communication channels for many people.
I imagine this problem will get fixed about the same time my physical spam mail stops arriving. I'm not holding my breath, given that I can _say_ something to my wife in the privacy of our own home and get a cold call or physical mailing about it a few weeks later.
I try to encourage people to pay for the services they believe in. Whether you love or hate Microsoft for $6.99/mo you can get Office, (decently private) email, cloud storage, and Skype. Hate Skype? Don't blame you but from there you can get a phone number that you can give out and keep your personal number just for family/emergencies.
This sends a powerful message to folks trying to build a better mouse trap. It is _very_ hard to produce a free service that competes with these folks but if we show we're willing to pay for privacy then maybe we'll start to see competitive innovation in that space again.
Now that I have a family it inspires rage that my phone rings constantly from spammers and I might ignore a call that's time sensitive and important.
Microsoft compromises the security and privacy of all of their online services, including Skype, Outlook.com, and Hotmail: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-...
A much better alternative is to give your money to independent telephony providers that run on, and support, Free Software: https://jmp.chat/
And if you're not willing to delete your account just yet, switch your profile pic and cover photo to messages saying you're planning on using Facebook less or eventually deleting your account.
If enough people do that, it adds a social element to the exodus. Just deleting you account makes it poof out of existence without a sound, and most of your FB friends won't even notice.
Unfortunately, it seems like that's becoming more and more common these days.
It doesn't help that legislators wouldn't have the foggiest clue about some of these issues^, so there's no impetus from the legal community or political arena to make changes, while nefarious companies are doing whatever the hell they like.
I deleted FB years ago, and this infuriates me to know they might still be trying to sell my information based on contacts and what I share with them.
^ Actually, they've recently tried to pretend they are above the law of mathematics, so...
FB and similar surveillance shops thrive because people let them. People let them, primarily, because humans instinctually follow a safety-in-numbers model - FB just couldn't be that bad, or someone would have done something about it. That is likely the most clever/evil hack - FB flips this instinct on its head.
So keep telling people the truth about FB. It is a tacky AOL 2.0 panopticon optimized to manipulate you in the name of your friends and family. The company routinely lies about their practices, the CEO gives all appearances of being an untrustworthy weasel, and they're more interested in growth than the damage (up to and including facilitating mob violence!) they're doing.
And: the net is a big place. FB is a big corner of it, but unless you'd also think living inside a Walmart is a great idea, there's a lot out there that you're missing.
It took years, but I've gotten some family members to stop using them.
>things i have see flying by are crazy
I think we are at an impasse. Most in the know do not share this opinion.
If you're implying that "most in the know" think FB is much worse than competitors or even other IT companies, we do indeed disagree. Sadly that is not something we can argue here, because if you are in the know you cannot share examples :)
I don't understand -- especially in this crowd -- how this is even a question, at this point, nor why anything related to this fact even warrants discussion any more, given the knowable ubiquity of the practice. I guess the only thing left is figuring out a novel way to capitalize on it, like the Gold Rush.