Who Owns Your Online Identity?

Facebook Connect.  Myspace Data Portability. Google Friend Connect. All of these individual services are supposed to be there to help you manage the fire hose of information that comes to you through your social graphs, but who owns that information?

The idea behind Facebook Connect and all of the other connect services, is to make all of the social media sites easier to use. Basically, the thought is that users will be able to log onto other websites using their Facebook ID, and see their friends’ activities on other sites as well. They’re also giving members the chance to broadcast their actions on the partner sites to their friends on Facebook, kinda like Beacon did.

The thing that struck me most about these services was the fact of who owns the information you’re putting online, and from there, how these services will use that information. Knowing who you are, who your friends are and what you’re doing online and where, is one of the cornerstones to a fully-targeted advertising campaign.  All that freely flowing data to all the other social networks is a boon for any advertiser because it offers up a full personal profile.

So, the question, for me at least, becomes, just how much information do you allow a potential advertiser to know? Is it a good thing that, for example, an advertiser knows your favorite color is red and you are a die hard Canucks fan, and so their ad servers show you a limited-edition, red-shirted Johnny Canuck? Is that really going to make you want to click through that ad and purchase that limited edition?

I just don’t know how comfortable I am with all of this targeted-advertising thing. It feels slightly… smarmy somehow, in the way that fortune tellers or snake oil salesmen told you exactly what you wanted to hear after reading the clues you give off. Are we not just giving even more clues – and this time, blatant and direct instructions on exactly what advertisers should sell us and when? Oh, and what to send all our friends too.

After all, depending on who owns all that information you’re putting out there, you could be doing just that. it certainly isn’t personal information anymore, that’s for sure.  And, how can you be sure in the Terms of Use somewhere, deep down in there, there’s not a clause that allows Myspace to sell all that info you’re putting out there? Do you really believe these sites are just trying to keep you in touch with your friends more easily. *scoff*

Good one. You almost had me there. Say, I’ve got this great bridge overlooking Manhattan I wanted to speak with you about. I’ll give ya a great deal!!