Headline is a little sensational. I'm not big fan of FB but this is just an artefact of the recommendation algos they're using.
Any contributor to HN shouldn't be surprised that a web app is using every possible bit of personal information it has to influence recommendation.
Someone mentioned a similar issue with Twitter recently (they signed up a with a new email but using a machine they had used previously and it recommended based on an existing cookie or something).
If you submit personal information - the recipient is likely to use it in many ways that make you uncomfortable - either immediately or at some point in the future.
Just because you feel secure with the current management team you donate personal data to doesn't mean your relationship with the next one will be so cosy. Nobody deletes data any more.
I guess at some point in the future identity online will be a lot more formal (Google+) and we'll be able to explicitly set the context (circle) we expose to services.
you seem to confuse being able to explain why something happens with whether or not it is a security breach. that this is an artefact of the recommendation algorithms does not change the importance of the information leaked.
and the argument "you should not be surprised companies fuck you over" simply gives away moral ground without a fight.
i really can't understand posts like yours. is the chance to appear world-weary and knowledgeable really worth selling your soul for?
Any contributor to HN shouldn't be surprised that a web app is using every possible bit of personal information it has to influence recommendation.
Someone mentioned a similar issue with Twitter recently (they signed up a with a new email but using a machine they had used previously and it recommended based on an existing cookie or something).
If you submit personal information - the recipient is likely to use it in many ways that make you uncomfortable - either immediately or at some point in the future.
Just because you feel secure with the current management team you donate personal data to doesn't mean your relationship with the next one will be so cosy. Nobody deletes data any more.
I guess at some point in the future identity online will be a lot more formal (Google+) and we'll be able to explicitly set the context (circle) we expose to services.