Filed under: Business, Web services, Social Software, Analysis, web 2.0
Scobleized : Why Facebook will never give your data back
Blogger/Internet socialite Robert Scoble has a problem. In attempting to scrape his personal data from Facebook (where he *had* several thousand "friends") he angered some of Facebook's internal monitoring drones and was forcefully removed from the service. True enough, what he was doing clearly violates Facebook's terms of service which state, "Thou shall not use automated means to scrape thine own data" but, should Facebook be allowed to collect the dossier you create through using the service, and then forbid you from getting a copy?
What's really at issue here is, who owns all this crazy social data you're constantly creating? Here's a tip; it's not you. All those clickwrap agreements -- or EULAs, also known as the Terms of Service document you never read -- say that Facebook can pretty much do whatever it wants with whatever data it manages to extort extract from you.
Still happy about the amount of time you spend on the most popular social networking site in the world? Or, rather, are you getting that icky, spine crawling feeling you get when you meet someone who knows just a little too much about you?
Facebook won't join Open Social, and you can forget about the pipe dreams of the Data Portability movement. The simple fact is, as the market leader, there is no benefit for or strategic advantage in Facebook making your data available to you in any format you wish. Those are young company ideals; the things you do in the beginning when you're desperate for users.
Open access to data is like the starched shirt, expensive cologne and bouquet of roses you take on a first date; it's a courting display, not a permanent way of life.
Facebook won't offer you open access to your data for one simple reason; if they did, they couldn't compete. They aren't innovative, they aren't the first mover, and they don't have a stable of hot talent designing any "next generation" of the social web. Facebook is simply a company that was in the right place at the right time, with a lucky strategy which happened to work. Zuckerberg may be bright, but he isn't a visionary; he's a follower.
So, whatever side of the debate you find yourself falling on, remember this. If the data wars truly have begun, victory won't come in the form of an "open" Facebook; it will come from a new generation of services who fail to find an exit strategy from their own courting ritual.
Update: Facebook has reactivated Scoble's account, after he promised never to run a script like Plaxo's Pulse again. We're left to wonder if the account would have been re-enabled if he weren't Robert Scoble, or if this story wasn't the number one thing on Techmeme today.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GoOrange said 11:54AM on 1-03-2008
Reading EULAs from various internet sites frequently scares me. One time I sat down and read through Yahoo! Groups EULA and was a bit turned off that they considered everything posted to their site to be their intellectual property. This was several years ago and the terms may have changed, but the overall concept seems to be that whatever you put on the internet belongs to the owner of the site you are posting to. Caveat emptor.
Cheers,
Jeff
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Grant Robertson said 12:34PM on 1-03-2008
You're totally right Jeff. There are some really scary EULAs out there. Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing has pointed out a few that should really turn everyone's hair white. Amazon Unbox, anyone?
Chris Brogan... said 12:02PM on 1-03-2008
one point: I wouldn't join OpenSocial either. I think that's a google counter-facebook project.
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Grant Robertson said 12:14PM on 1-03-2008
Point taken, but I think no matter what open service existed, Facebook has no incentive to become a part of it.
NateK said 1:38PM on 1-03-2008
I work for the evil Clear Channel empire. A few years ago, they created a social networking site called aboutyoutoday.com. They advertised it as the new hit thing on all their radio stations. Basically, it was a way for them to get free research data and general information on their listeners, who by the way where not informed of the inner workings and the hidden agenda of this project.
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Paul Kilgo said 1:41PM on 1-03-2008
If Facebook doesn't allow you to collect your own data, then how come their APIs allow you to do exactly that? It doesn't seem like you could tell the difference between someone legitimately using the APIs under the terms of the EULA or whether someone is *gasp* trying to use their data somewhere else.
That little term in the Facebook EULA, 'Thou shall not use automated means to scrape thine own data,' seems to not allow the use of any of those applications that so many of Facebook's users love to pollute their pages with. Even if the difference is discerning whether the data was collected via the API or a web browser, all you have to do is parse the web page output to spoof collection from a browser. That's not too terribly hard either...
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stuckicyberspace said 2:04PM on 1-03-2008
Isn't iTunes doing a similar type of thing?
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Ryan said 2:53PM on 1-03-2008
Hey,
I got an idea... let's blow something completely out of proportion. Yes, your data can be retrieved quite easily with the Facebook APIs (see FriendsCSV application). In fact, I could write an application that will allow you to export all of your friends data, yes all of it (excluding e-mail -- if you don't already have that are you really their friend, really?) into any format you wish; Outlook, Excel, iCal, Google Cal, JSON, XML, etc.
The doors are there, just because you don't know how to find the knobs doesn't mean the door doesn't open.
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Grant Robertson said 3:15PM on 1-03-2008
That's the problem though.. why can't I have their email addresses? I can understand why you wouldn't want just any Facebook application to have access to that data. But, on the other hand, do you want _every_ _single_ FB app not to have access to that data? Currently, there is no certification process, exception mechanism or path to grab that data with consent.
Beyond that, Facebook actually said in its email that Scoble's use might be breaking "Federal or State laws". Really? Now you're a criminal if you want to use a program to read data you can read with your own eyeballs? What if I'm blind? Am I doomed to a life of crime? It's hyperbolic, yes.. but it's worth asking.
Ryan said 4:33PM on 1-03-2008
Maybe it's not about whether YOU want to access YOUR information. Maybe I don't want just any application to have access to my e-mail address. In fact, maybe I don't want all of my Facebook friends to have my e-mail address. It's all about privacy, and when you start handing out your personal information there needs to be some type of throttle as to have far that information gets.
What if Company A purchased a Facebook account with 50,000 friends, and created an application to search those 50,000 where it returned the e-mail addresses of those who have "Apple" in their interests. Now Facebook has become nothing more than a marketing goldmine for spammers. That is exactly what Facebook is trying to avoid. It is a social network -- nothing more. Can you really blame them for trying to stay true to their model?
Look, instead of jumping on the "Facebook will never be open" bandwagon, why don't you wait and see what Facebook does in the future? Or is it easy to write about something that is almost destined to git the front page of Digg, right or wrong, and increase page views?
Grant Robertson said 6:28PM on 1-03-2008
A few points Ryan:
1. There are no Facebook accounts with 50,000 friends. Facebook accounts are capped at 5000 friends.
2. Facebook already is a marketing goldmine for those who are willing to pay. It's called a business development deal. Didn't you read about Beacon?
3. Your email address is _already_ available to your friends. It's obfuscated as an image, but it's there.
4. I wrote an opinion piece. You obviously think I'm wrong, and that's great. Open discussion is awesome, and it's what blogging is all about. However, it's pretty low to insinuate that I wrote this piece to target Digg's front page. I wrote my opinion, the digg community felt it interesting, and dugg it enough to make the front page. Plain and simple. Should I, in the future, avoid taking any side on any controversial topic, so as to avoid the appearance that I'm only writing to increase pageviews?
Thanks for reading, and for jumping in the discussion. Frankly, it'd be nice if you're right, I just don't see it happening for the reasons I laid out in the article above.
1. Zuckerberg is not a leader, he follows.
2. There is no incentive for Facebook to be open. Period.
3. Facebook is not, nor save for the brief moment subsequent to the release of Facebook apps have they ever been, a true leader in the space. They will not take a risk, no matter how calculated. I think this is ultimately going to lead to their downfall.
Ryan said 7:42PM on 1-03-2008
1. I am very aware of this, and this just further supports my point that Facebook is a social network, not your personal Rolodex.
2. And it's already a goldmine for people who don't pay, all you need is an application with a lot of friends. Imagine the FQL queries that could be ran on a userbase of +1,000,000.
The only thing "walled" are means of outside communication (IM screenname, phone, e-mail, address).
3. Right, so why would I want to allow some 3rd party application to have it when my friends already do?
4. You're right, I apologize for the assumption.
1. Zuckerberg is not a leader, he follows.
--Creating the first social network for college students and being the first to create a application platform that allows developers to monetize within the social network is not leading? Hmmph, crazy.
2. There is no incentive for Facebook to be open. Period.
--Sure there is, if Facebook becomes a "2nd" home while online, then I would want it open just as much as I have everything open on my OS. But, because it is completely online, privacy MUST come first. Will Facebook gradually create new windows in the "wall" - yes, does Facebook listen to the users - yes.
3. Facebook is not, nor save for the brief moment subsequent to the release of Facebook apps have they ever been, a true leader in the space. They will not take a risk, no matter how calculated. I think this is ultimately going to lead to their downfall.
--What do you call Beacon, News feed, opening to the public (pissed a lot of college people off), and Pages? I call them all risks...
Stephen James said 2:28PM on 1-15-2008
A closed Facebook is not surprising. I'm surprised no one has tried to create a Facebook application that can export all your data, friends and all to XML. I guess they would have to add the application, too--that is if Facebook would ever allow.
It's just too easy for some people to NOT set up their own blog, and store email addresses and contact information somewhere else. I get Facebook messages from friends now instead of email messages. As someone show still has emails from 1996, it annoys me that I can't save them offline as I can with email.
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Ralph said 1:34AM on 1-26-2008
This is a great place for information. Is it possible to create a script that sends an email to the inbox of all the friends on my Facebook to join another social network. I am not interested in importing or exporting all my friends list from Facebook into csv format etc. I am starting my own simple social network and would look members to be able to go to invite friends section and login into their Facebook account from my social network and select the friends to emailed an invitation.
Thanks, All the insights are much appreciated and welcomed.
Ralph
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Ralph said 2:06PM on 1-26-2008
This is a great place for information. Is it possible to create a script that sends an email to the inbox of all the friends on my Facebook to join another social network. I am not interested in importing or exporting all my friends list from Facebook into csv format etc. I am starting my own simple social network and would look members to be able to go to invite friends section and login into their Facebook account from my social network and select the friends to emailed an invitation.
Thanks, All the insights are much appreciated and welcomed.
Reply