Some people feel that every time they go on the Internet, their digital selves are being hijacked and driven to a shady data broker’s garage, where they get sliced, diced, and mined and even sold for various purposes that are unknown to society. The people who feel like they’re getting info-jacked are starting to fight back by providing false-information security system.
Kevin Ludlow, a 33-year-old Texan software developer, calls this phenomena“Bayesian flooding” and as a data miner he wants to protect against is Facebook. The problem with this is that once information has been collected, it will always be stored and associated with you and your name. He therefore argues that trying to hide information from Facebook may not work. A possible solution would be to overwhelm the social media platform with too much information.”
This article examines the top 10 Facebook conspiracy theories that hit the roof recently and had many, many fans going crazy. You can never been to sure about Mark Zuckerberg and his intentions.
What is conspiracy theory?
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.
1. Global Revolution
Many conspiracy theorists argue that Facebook and other social media websites conspired to birth the political uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. After all, they argue that Facebook offered of a forum for acute sociability and democratic processes, which have given the youth of those countries a taste for democracy. The Occupy Movement in the U.S. holds a very similar philosophy. Except the part where they fight tanks.
2. High Divorce Rates
In a study done on UK divorce proceedings, it was found that 20 percent of divorce suits filed mentioned Facebook as a contributing factor to marital unhappiness. Couples the world-over began to flock away from the site now painted as a direct road to infidelity. But what media channels failed to offer was that unhappy marriages just happened to be more prone to spending time apart, especially on Facebook. To this day, people are still frightened over the myth that Facebook itself causes divorces. But, the social media platform is still growing and becoming even more popular.
3. Mark Zuckerberg is reading your mail
The Next Web, amongst other sources, revealed that if you mention a Facebook page in your private messages the likes for that page will increase. Admittedly it sounds a little innocuous at first, but surely it means someone was going through your messages and looking at the content.
Facebook admitted that it has been scanning messages but that’s an honest mistake. Mark Zuckerberg does not give a crap about who you’re dating. The whole purpose was to create those cute little thumbnails that come up at the bottom and the increased likes are apparently a virus.
But who would trust Zuckerberg…would you?
4. Facebook uses your photos for advertisement
When Facebook updated its terms of service back in 2009 many started question whether users really own their content once it’s uploaded to the site or whether it becomes fair game as soon as it hits the social network.
A Vancouver, B.C woman filed a class action lawsuit against Facebook in2012 for profiting from an advertisement that used her photo and profile information without her consent.
Debbie Douez claimed that Facebook, Inc. allowed her name and photo to be used without her permission and acknowledgement for an advertisement that appeared on Facebook last year.
5. Facebook charges for accounts
This has to be the most popular rumor. Despite myths, top 10 list believes that Facebook is not charging and never will. However thousands of users every day, and frequently many more, spread the myth that Facebook is about to start charging for the service. The price tends to differ each time the myth arises, yet people continue to fall for this myth over and over again. We will have to wait and see if this will happen. For now, Facebook is introducing new features, most recently the Graph Search and before that it was the messenger.
6. Facebook sells your data
If Facebook is not charging for the service, that must mean that they are going to have to sell your data to survive. Despite the popularity of such conspiracy theories, this is totally a myth. Facebook does not sell your data to advertisers. Instead, they let advertisers target users with advertisements through their self-serve advertising program based on a number of factors. None of the user information is ever exposed to the advertiser. Instead, the advertiser is provided with an anonymity report showing which demographic groups clicked on their links.
7. Failing stock
Though the current stock price are not doing well and employees are not particularly happy, it’s not a limiting factor for the company’s productivity. In September 2012 interview Zuckerberg cited controversial stories his company faced in the past. He felt that employees were fairly used to people saying good and bad things. He also argued that everyone had a good compass and stays focused.
8. Zuckerberg and involvement in the Mossad
A video that came directly from Iran claims that Zuckerberg and Facebook is tied to Mossad, the Israeli Secret Agency. In the video, they stated, “Facebook is an Israeli spying website which has a duty to attract spies in favor of Israel and the U.S.”
9. Facebook Randomly Deletes Pages
Every few weeks there are details about a Facebook page, profile or group being wiped off the face of the internet for good. Sometimes the Facebook team has valid reasons for its actions, like a fake or offensive account, sometimes it tries to justify its crazy deleting activity. No proof has ever been given showing that Facebook randomly deletes pages.
10. Facbeook Purposely Publishes Phone Numbers
It’s happened a number of times in the past year, especially when people realized that if you sync your Facebook contacts to your phone you see everyone’s numbers. Some people freaked out and thought it meant that Facebook now has all of your personal data, is publishing your details for the world to see. No not exactly.
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