Facebook is announcing today that it will make user profiles available through Google search results as well as in Yahoo and MSN search. This Facebook move could threaten users’ privacy.
Beginning tomorrow, all Facebook user profiles can be found in Google search results, and users will have one month to change their privacy settings before their profiles get indexed by Google and other search engines. These results according to
Mashable.com will include, at best, the name of the Facebook user and their profile picture.
If a Facebook user has their profile set to viewable by “everyone”, then that profile will be available in Google and their limited profile will be available to the public. Only users over the age of 18 will be available in search results. The picture shows the search result of a Facebook user. Google has already indexed about 26,600 Facebook users (most likely a result of indexing Facebook badges users embed in blogs and publicly on other sites).
Facebook explains the reasoning behind this move:
The Public Search Listing of a profile shows the profile picture thumbnail and links to interact with a user on Facebook. People will always have to log in or register to poke, message or add someone as a friend. A user can also restrict what information shows in their public listing by going to the search privacy page. For instance, if a user does not want their profile picture to be shown, they can uncheck that box under “What people can do with my search results”.
No doubt, this will help drive more users to Facebook, but I would hope that Facebook would also think about protecting its user base. If you do not want your profile to be picked up in search engines, change your privacy settings (click “Privacy” where you can control who can find you in searches, and what content of yours appears in the search listing).
This announcement serves as a reminder that anything we leave in a public domain has the potential to be misused by someone (if you don’t want to share private details of your life, it is best not to put anything on a website or blog).
I think it's fine if a search result includes a name and profile picture, but beyond that, others don’t need to know private details of anyone who interacts on Facebook.
Do you agree with the new Facebook policy of letting your profiles be available in Google search results?
Facebook Profiles Will Appear in Google Results Next Month
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