Wednesday, March 16, 2011

When do people care about privacy-always!

I want to ask everyone in the google universe when do you care about your privacy? I am assuming your answer is all the time! It is bunk when Social Networks like the CEO of a network that starts with F and ends in "book" boasts, about you and I not caring about our privacy...I can tell you, the reader in everyplace I have been to in the world (5 continents and counting) no one has ever told me, no we don't care...

The reason why there is not so much outrage to the trivialization of privacy from social networks is that most of the world (outside the U.S.) DO NOT KNOW about it. The fact is most social network users outside the U.S, have no idea that these cos have such a reckless disregard for privacy.
No one I spoke to, even knew how social networks made money...If social networks told this to people outside the U.S-that they were abusing the privacy and information of its users, the admiration (not to mention the number of new users) goes out the window.

When I tell people about what social networks are really doing, they cannot imagine a robust democracy like the U.S. would let companies get away with it. This is not innovation, but the Internet equivalent of telemarketing, email harvesting and/or dumpster diving.

Social networks must hope that Congress and U.S. lawmakers will continue to ignore what they do. Unfortunately the action/inaction of the U.S. has consequences. In this case, inaction acts like a rubber stamp in the eyes of many outside the U.S. that what other social networks do (particularly how the one that starts with the letter F and ends in book, does not allow its users to OPT-OUT of all their many privacy invasive features) is appropriate. It also sets a horrible example to others around the world who decide to copycat this deceptive model. When we stop having respect for the privacy of our fellow man, bad things do happen.

That is why it us time for the U.S. government to :"get 'er done", and put a stop to many of these egregious practices.

Sincerely,
A concerned member of Myabuy


Saturday, March 12, 2011

clearing up some myths about Johns Hopkins (my alma mater)

I have met many people recently (from different backgrounds, regions of the country, and education level) who have a lot of false information, when the subject of Johns Hopkins comes up. Some of these fantasies people insist are facts (that is also very annoying-clueless men/women who judge places they have never been to or seen but I digress)

Two different faux friends literally said that Johns Hopkins is a public school. lol Where they got such a ridiculous idea is beyond me. there is no state or city in the name, and there is no town of Johns Hopkins anywhere in the U.S...yet some people choose to be willfully ignorant of what is going on in the U.S. and the world...

I have also been told that Johns Hopkins is just a hospital-how f**king ridiculous is that? Hopkins was the first research university in the U.S., and is a lot more than just a hospital-it is not the Mayo or Cleveland Clinic! There are a ton of different majors, programs and leaders that came out Hopkins-the treasury secretary of the U.S., Tim Geither is a Hopkins grad (SAIS) for peat sake!

Sometimes I wonder where people latch onto false ideas, and how they parrot them and pollute their ignorance to friends, colleagues and total strangers...it is a shame that people do not know more about a great school like Johns Hopkins and the wonderful students and alumni who contribute so much to the U.S. (and world) If there were more Hopkins grads, this world would be in a lot better shape! This is just my 2 cents:)

-from the desk of the Privacy Pioneer (aka Mr Myabuy himself)