The social networking site Facebook started its life as a closed network for college and high school students. One of its big advantages was that people felt safe networking with their friends. But once the site opened up to everyone, things have changed. There have been phishing scams, a rise in "friend spam" (people ask to be your friend but really want you to sign up for another service), and even text alerts sent to the wrong people. Plus, Facebook drew scorn for its Beacon service that broadcast purchases to friends, and now there are questions about its "Social Ads" that let companies use your name and photo in ads if you download their widgets. So do you trust Facebook, or are you worried that it's not a safe place for networking? How do you protect your privacy on social networking sites or do you not care? Share your thoughts in the comments and I'll run the best ones in the next Your Take Roundup.
Do you trust Facebook?
by Mark Glaser, January 7, 2008
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