Facebook's email switch prompts criticism by users

[dipsydoodle]

Facebook is facing a backlash from users after replacing email addresses listed in members' contacts with those provided by its @facebook.com system.

The company said it had acted to make details "consistent" across its site.

If Facebook's email system takes off it could drive more traffic to the firm's pages helping boost advertising sales.

But some users have branded the move "annoying" and "lame" and publicised instructions on how to display original addresses instead of the Facebook ones.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18590929

[drm604]

1. If someone sends email to the FaceBook address, where does it go?

Does it get forwarded to your regular email or what?

Now spammers are going to able to reach us simply by knowing our FaceBook username. Not cool.

In any case, thanks for posting this. I just hid it in my profile along with all of my other contact info.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Fuck knows

I don't even respond to gmail stuff : a/c only exists by necessity.

[RevStPatrick]

3. This was all over Facebook yesterday...

How to change the setting, so that your real email addy shows on your profile, rather than your new FB email:

http://lifehacker.com/5921095/facebook-just-changed-your-email-without-permission-heres-how-to-get-it-back

And I'll bet they wonder why their stock price dropped another dollar yesterday.
Totally lame and annoying move, Facebook!

[dipsydoodle]

5. Thanks for that link

No email addresses at all now show on my profile.

[drm604]

6. Those instructions are wrong.

Last edited Thu Jun 28, 2012, 12:57 PM - Edit history (2)

I went to my profile page and there is no "About". The way to do it is to click on "Info" then scroll down to "Contact Information" and click "Edit". Then you can make changes to the visibility of your email addresses.

What really angers me is that I had my email address hidden, but they made the new FB address visible by default.

All of my email addresses are now hidden on FB, but an automated spammer (or anyone else) can easily derive your FB address from your user name, so hiding it doesn't achieve much.

Edited to add: Okay. Apparently the instructions given are for people whose profile uses Timeline. I still have the old layout, that's why the instructions seemed wrong to me.

[PADemD]

9. Facebook emails

I was able to change the visibility but not delete the Facebook email entirely. I don't want a Facebook email account at all! Time to quit Facebook.

[Wilms]

4. They want to be like gmail and have access to what you write. n/t

[Champion Jack]

7. Facebook users need to demand their money back

[bluedigger]

8. But nonusers are finding great satisfaction in it, so it's a wash...

It sends to Facebook Messages. If spammers do that, how is that going to help Facebook? So far, their filters seem to be holding up.

[caroll31]

10. I only look at facebook when I want to. I am all for this change.

I only look at facebook when I want to. I am all for this change.

[Mosby]

11. Douglas Rushkoff described the FB problems perfectly

He said that the problem is that users don't understand they are the product not the customer, the customer is advertisers and data collectors.

I found his blog post about it:
http://www.rushkoff.com/blog/2011/9/26/you-are-not-facebooks-customer.html