The Information Monopoly
Just recently there have been two new products announced that make it easier to communicate, and keep track of messages by aggregating all your messages from different sources into one place.
The first of these products is the long-awaited Windows Phone (aka Windows Mobile 7) which is a complete re-write of Microsoft's mobile platform to make it less computer and more phone. They seem to have taken a leaf out of Apple's book with a lot of the design choices (ie no cut and paste or multitasking in the initial version) and there are lots of 'silly' things, like an in-built Zune and Xbox 360 integration. However, the main feature that everyone in the tech world is raving about is the fact that it makes messaging so easy, in fact, its simplicity is the main focus of the current TV advert. It does this by turning messaging on its head. You have all these communication methods - SMS, email, Facebook, MSN, etc - on your phone anyway, so why not combine them into an easy 'people' hub where you can sort all your messages by person and subject, rather than have to keep them seperated by delivery method, or in different apps. It also, being written by Microsoft, will probably crash quite a bit.
The other of these products is Facebook Messages. It performs roughly the same task, keeping your email, texts and Facebook messages together. Suddenly all the messages you get sent via Facebook can be read at the same time as your email, you don't have to check them both. And when you send text messages on the go, and then later continue the conversation online via email or chat, you can see the previous text messages there too and refer back to them without having to switch to your phone. It also, being a feature of Facebook, will probably crash quite a bit.
These two services have a crucial difference. Facebook Messages works server-side and Windows Phone works client-side. I will explain. If you have a smartphone, you probably already manage your text messages, email, etc all on your phone anyway, albeit in different apps for each communication type. The only additional functionality that Windows Phone gives you is the ability to view them all in one place. They're still all delivered to and stored on your phone the same way, and as far as anyone but you is concerned, nothing has changed. You don't have to change providers, your email provider doesn't have access to your Facebook posts, Facebook doesn't have access to your MSN, Microsoft don't have access to your text messages, etc etc. The only place where everything comes together is right in your hand, where it belongs. Facebook's alternative is different in that everything now happens through Facebook. You just have one connection - to Facebook - and all your email, texts, chat, etc all have to go through them before they get to you. Of course, to be fair, Windows Phone means buying a new phone, so it's the more expensive option as Facebook's service doesn't cost you a penny. But you do still have to pay for it, in the traditional Facebook currency that is your privacy - and by switching everything over to Facebook you're effectively giving them a monopoly on your personal data.
It's no secret that Facebook is a security nightmare. The fact that it's so easy to view strangers' data makes it an unwise decision to upload anything even remotely private, and many computer security experts suggest that you really shouldn't upload anything to Facebook that you wouldn't put on the public internet... that is, of course, excluding the ones that believe nobody should be using Facebook in the first place. There are many stories of people who have been far too naive on social networks, I personally know of at least three people who have been in trouble with their boss over things posted on Facebook, and there are actually people who have been fired and even killed over things they've put on there. Even if we forgive Facebook's murky reputation, there's always a risk letting one company have control of so much information, as recent news reports about HMRC and ACS:Law show. As I've blogged before, You can never be entirely sure who has access to this information when it's in someone else's care. So why would anyone want to turn their entire communications network over to Facebook, or any other company for that matter?
The answer is, of course, in the question: naivety. People are naive enough to talk about their personal life after 'friending' work colleagues, people are naive enough to post rants about their boss and co-workers online and people are naive enough to talk about everything they've ever done despite the fact that their employer, boyfriend, girlfriend and even the police have access to it. People are naive enough to put their email password into Facebook's 'Friend Finder' and then get surprised when the service starts advertising their presence to their psychotic ex, or some guy they emailed once to exchange insurance details after a prang. People are naive enough to click 'Yes' when an application that claims to be just a silly quiz or gift app asks for permission to access their account even when they're not online. So, when offered a simple method of keeping all their communications together without paying a penny, of course people are going to be naive enough to sign up.
But in reality, nothing is really free and anything that seems too good to be true usually is. People say I'm cynical, negative and paranoid, but can say with 100% certainty that my boss will never see a photo of me drunk.