I am not a fan of 'closed' social networking sites where in order to see what is there you have to be a member. Similarly, while I understand the need to protect content, requiring someone to "Register here" for a one-off visit is something of an overkill in resources...
Facebook is receiving a fair amount of criticism regarding their use (and apparent abuse) of the data made available by its members.
One example... here.
Two here. (your information is 'there' but hidden with code. Other code can easily unhide it)
Three - quite a few reasons here.
UPDATE: The EFF has more information regarding the egregious use of their 'Connections'.
... I mentioned how bad the 'Connections' feature is with regard to your privacy and also how a third party can make assumptions regarding what you are 'interested' in simply by collecting 'Connections' information. Now the changes made have been looked at in more detail by EFF they have a summary here., this 'feature' is worse than you could imagine with regard to your individual privacy and being labeled due to a connection you have (or had).
As a simple (but related) example, telecoms companies analyse call patterns (your CDR's - call data records) to provide services to their customers such as your top 10 numbers and so on. Similarly, they use node pattern analysis to determine those areas where demand and network load are greatest in order to improve infrastructure. These are all seen as being beneficial for and by the user. However, this same information is used by others to whom it is made available for node and pattern matching. With the appropriate software the connections between one number and others is mapped and logged and some very targeted services are provided. When used appropriately there are clear and real benefits
In one famous case, the involvement of two Mafia hit-men in the assassination attempt of a judge was tracked simply by using their CDR's and the unique identifier that every phone has. Similarly, there is Facebook example of this here.
There have been several examples of 'Oops' moments with people using Facebook and making negative comments re their employer, posting inappropriate images, or simply publicly displaying behaviour that they thought was only being seen by a closed circle of their contacts. While many of these are true, there many that are urban myths that have spread viraly and by assumption become true. There are several web sites that are devoted to the topic of which this is but one here. They all seem to fall under the 'thank goodness it was not me' or 'how stupid people are for not realising that' category. While people can laugh about the downfall of an individual in a technological age, they often overlook the negative impact that the use of a social networking has directly upon them. How many of you when walking along a street, have been accosted by a 'market researcher', who simply wants to 'take a few minutes of your time' to ask some seemingly innocuous questions, have politely (or not) declined or, when offered a store loyalty card, responded in the negative also are Facebook users? The amount of information you disclose with the latter is significantly greater than in both of the other scenarios yet people do this freely with little regard to how the information is monitored. This information is a sociologists/psychologists/marketers/governments dream.
Note that I am not being alarmist or 'conspiracy theorist' here but pointing the clear potential for misuse and abuse of this out for anyone who adopts the 'I do nothing wrong', 'I have nothing to hide', 'I only have links with my friends and family', approach to their privacy. In addition, the dramatic social change that is taking place before people's eyes is both interesting and at the same time alarming. For me, Facebook is of little interest. I am not a member and do not want to be a member. There is little or no perceived benefit and the arguments that people use for this and other social network sites are weak and miss out the level of disconnect that these sites insert into your life. Instead of being involved or taking part, you become (or can be) an observer or even, dare I say it, a rubber-necker or voyeur. I share many of the opinions of this writer here and, if you have not seen the South Park episode "You Have 0 Friends" I heartily recommend it. It highlights a number of the issues I too have with Facebook and other social networking sites. I have had numerous invites to 'join' or 'share' the 'experience' from people. I have ignored them all as to do so requires me joining something that I have no wish to be part of. The disconnect of this is incredible. Someone who I know sends me (this is often automated) and email via the site that goes something along the lines of "I have not been in touch with you for a long time but because I am a member of (insert site here) let's get in touch". Errm... you have at least got my email address, I know this because I received the mail. Many also have my phone numbers. Why did you not use that as a direct method of contacting me?
It is like the tourist who visits a famous monument with their camcorder affixed to their eye. They are there but not directly connected to the event. Later (I assume) they can view. edit, and cut the recording to match or reflect the 'experience' and make it available to others via the internet. This does not reflect the actual experience itself. It is a mediocre pastiche of the actual moment in time.
From this perspective alone there are many social impacts that people have yet to realise the extent of. The ability to experience something without being there can give someone a false impression and distort what something is really like. Every moment becomes a 'television moment' as seen through the eyes of someone else and you have to base your views and understanding upon that. There are some benefits (e.g., Venice at the height of summer is best seen from a distance) but they do not match with the importance of being there and directly experiencing something. As a (sort of but not quite) counter argument to this, being there does not necessarily mean a good or same experience.
I was at Earl's Court for the Pink Floyd Pulse concert where the live video was recorded. A friend of mine also attended. I was close to the stage (to the left and up slightly) and had a close view of all the performers. He was midway back near the centre. Both of our impressions of this concert were different. Whereas he was raving about the visual effects, I was doing the same about the performance of individual band members (including one really cute backing singer). We had both been there but had a different experience due to the different viewpoint. The DVD produced of this was able to capture both our viewpoints and much more. it actually enhanced the experience through clever editing and production.
All three of the above viewpoints lead me back to the topic of Facebook. Your information on its own may appear to be innocuous but when viewed from a different perspective or 'edited' can present a completely different understanding or interpretation of what is displayed. The 'Connections' feature of Facebook is a step too far for many users. Although their information is not 'visible', despite your privacy settings it does not mean that it is NOT publicly available. That is an important point to note and the EFF also highlight this.
What is perhaps further disturbing is the impact the dramatic change this disconnected method people use to communicate is likely to have socially. Television made you an observer of events and locations through the view of the presenter/director/producer/ but the level of connection with others was still predominantly at a direct personal level (see the South Park episode for their take on this). The advent of computer and telephony products and services that connected people directly was also a dramatic change. In particular the mobile phone and texting; this introduced what I would call the first level of disconnection. Now the mobile is connected to the internet and to the like of Twitter/Facebook etc there is a further dramatic change in the way people 'communicate'. You can become involved directly in the minutiae of people's lives. Personally I do not give a jot that one of my friends is 'Just on the bus to work and it is raining'; this is a huge leap forward from the "mobile-twat" who loudly proclaims "I'm on the train. WHAT? No, the TRAIN." You know the type. The switch is dramatic to see if any of you commute regularly. On bus, trains, in the airport, and even people in cars, many people have their heads own looking at their screens - they are invariably playing a game or sending messages to others. Meanwhile, life goes on around them... somewhat sad really.
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