Why I choose not to use Facebook.

I get asked all the time, “Where are you on Facebook?”

The truth is, I have a very hard time trusting Facebook. After dozens of highly publicised privacy problems over the years, I have grown more than weary and frankly suspicious of what the company might do with my personal information, especially in the future. Although I do have an account, I very rarely even login to my account.

My concerns stem from several instances when the company has added new features to the site and chosen to automatically opt-in hundreds of millions of users, most of whom don’t even know that they’ve been signed up for the new feature. I’ve also been phased by the company’s utterly confusing privacy policy, which requires users to navigate a labyrinth of buttons and menus when hoping to make their personal information private. You should read it! For Facebook, these security breaches rarely result in any major repercussions: the negative press is usually temporary, and users have mostly stayed with the service, citing that there isn’t a viable alternative social network to talk to family and friends.

Well, in my opinion there are better and more secure social networks out there, and I hope Facebook finally wake up and address these concerns before it’s too late...