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Comment by sytelus | Hacker News Reader

FB does allow you to export your data:

1. Go to Accounts Settings in Facebook. 2. Find a link "Download a copy of your Facebook data".

Data includes all your wall posts, photos and friends names plus their email addresses.

Page's point is that you can't import your Facebook contacts to another service, such as Google+.

that's a pretty biased point indeed.

Every time I've attempted to use this feature, it hasn't worked. Not sure if my experience is unique.

Email Addresses?

Really?

Those were removed for quite a while. If they're available now, it's kind of a big deal.

If the friends has their email address viewable on their profile then yes. Makes sense.

There's now an option in every user's General Account Settings:

    Allow friends to include my email address in Download Your Information.

I'm not sure what the default is, but mine is currently set to "no" (and I don't recall changing it).

Export ≠ openness. It's just giving the user everything they already see from their facebook page.