Unit Structures: Facebook Public Profiles

Facebook Public Profiles
Posted 5/29/2007 05:57:00 PM |

Sometime in the past few weeks, Facebook began exposing profiles to be indexed by Google (A search today returns over 350,000 profiles). Granted, profiles are still private, but how will people feel about their profile being indexed in Google? At the same time, there seems to be no way to turn this functionality off, and Facebook help documents have no mention of this new "feature."

These types of context-leaps have caused problems for Facebook in the past. When newsfeeds were turned on with no privacy, Facebook failed to understand that privacy was both quantitative and qualitative. A context jump from "searchable within Facebook" to "searchable in Google" is a big deal. The fact Facebook was not upfront with its users in saying "we're going to be letting Google in to index our userbase" is troubling. Even more troubling is the seeming inability to opt in or out of this service. I'd rethink this approach.

Update: French reader provides advice on how to turn public profiles off. To do so, deselect "everyone" in search privacy. This turns off the public profile. You can then re-enable the rest of the options to make yourself widely searchable in Facebook. Thanks to French reader for this important bit of information.

Update 2: Anonymous commenter writes: Facebook listened. Go to the search privacy page and there's an option to shut this off now. Great news!

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10 Comments: (Post a Comment)

At May 29, 2007 6:54 PM, French reader said...: I think you can turn it off by restricting privacy settings for search.

Thank you very much for your blog. It rocks.
At May 29, 2007 7:01 PM, fred said...: As far as I can tell, the "Search" privacy controls only deal with Facebook proper.
At May 29, 2007 8:27 PM, Michael Zimmer said...: Unbelievable. The more things change....
At May 29, 2007 10:17 PM, fred said...: David, I hadn't seen your post, but nice catch. The comment from Pete Cashmore doesn't make sense - I've never linked to my public profile.
At May 30, 2007 3:40 AM, French reader said...: With all due respect, while turning search to allow everyone to look at your profile, Facebook creates a "public profile".

Should you then click on the "Public profile" link which is put in the very end of the page along with "profile layout" and "create a profile badge", it is written :

"Your public profile contains some information about you that anyone can see, such as your name and networks.

Anyone who is not logged into Facebook can view your public profile at this URL :

http://facebook.com/XXXXXXXXXX

It is only available if you have not restricted any of your search privacy settings."

As far as I can tell, this privacy setting seems to work, if you turn search off for "everyone", the "public profile disappears. I just tested it again.

Am I the only one to experience it ?

I have put f8 apps on my profile.

Perhaps this privacy control has only been enabled with the new platform running ?
At May 30, 2007 8:08 AM, fred said...: French reader - that's the answer! Great call. I'm going to bump your comment up into the post.
At May 30, 2007 6:17 PM, French reader said...: Please, please ! don't thank

You make all the research on Facebook, and you share all your ideas and concepts.

You are the one we should thank
At June 01, 2007 8:21 AM, Anonymous said...: Facebook listened.

Go to the search privacy page and there's an option to shut this off now.
At June 01, 2007 8:24 AM, fred said...: nice!
At June 04, 2007 3:41 PM, Sam Jackson said...: I've had oppressive privacy settings on my facebook for a while now for reasons like this. Facebook is too cavalier in their changes and too worrying in some of their action for me to trust them. It would be easier if not for the peer pressure and necessity of facebook as a social tool...