Should users be able to download Facebook or Myspace contacts?
How do you stand on this issue?
Bloggers Access To Facebook Blocked
Tech blogger attempted to download personal contacts from social networking site. Prominent tech blogger Robert Scobles account has been disabled after an attempt by Scoble to download his Facebook contacts onto his personal computer. Scoble announced in Thursday, December 28 blog post that he was attempting to download the content from his Facebook profile to other places, a download that is not allowed under Facebooks terms and conditions of service agreement.
see more info here http://www.internetwondersezine.com/search-engine-optimization/bloggers-access-to-facebook-blocked
i expect that myspace has the same policy. i have often watned to download contacts just to SAVE them in case myspace decides to delete my profile (i think it is MENTAL they can just do that with NO warning to you at all and sometimes for the DUMBEST reasons)
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4 Answers
Yet another reason (as if I needed more) to avoid Myspace, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc….
He had his account reinstated, but my answer is yes. The people who share their e-mail address and other personal info on Facebook are tacitly giving permission to use and record it. They have also agreed to be within my social circle.
However, I think that it should be limited to typical address book/contact info.
You won’t find that kind of information public on my Facebook acct, however.
Absolutely not. I own my contact information and if I give it to you, that is a priviledge so that you can contact me easier. In the non-online world it is a social faux pas to give someone else’s phone number away without getting their implicit approval beforehand. These same social constructs should be adhered to online as well.
@maverick – the analogy you are using is wrong. On Facebook, you have control to display or not display your contact info to people. You have different levels, but at the most basic you are showing that info only to people you approve. What is being requested is the ability to import that info from Facebook into other devices. For instance, I have a friend Carolyn who wishes to take my contact info (that I am sharing with her) from Facebook and move it to her Blackberry.
The analogy is better if you look at it like I gave you my business card and you want to add it to your Rolodex. No one would object to that.
However, if someone wanted to export their address book for commercial reasons, that would be problematic.
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