Quote Originally Posted by Joshua View Post
Keep in mind tho, this is simply directed marketing. They aren't keeping this data it's just using an algorithm. It's the same thing when you search for "blah" and get results in adwords that match your search.

Facebook does EXACTLY the same thing, when I'm talking politics in *private* facebook, I get political links. When I'm talking to my strongman buddies about a training day, I get supplement ads for protein powder and stuff.

The difference is that Google's are accurate, whereas Facebook's miss the mark enough that no one pays attention.

Facebook also has a much shoddier record with personal info. Up until about two months ago any person on the planet could hijack any Facebook account by using Facebook's own password retrieval protocol. It was so easy, I actually did it to a friend's facebook account when he swore it wasn't possible.
The difference is that google HAS been sued for stealing personal info (especially during their bizarre Orwellian "Google Street View" picture taking)

I also don't give FB any personal info, but, then, as my father (w. 30 years in computer systems administration) still says, "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not watching you".