- Tuesday, 1 December 2009
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A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject - Winston Churchill
Facebook nicks Microsoft's passport
SOCIAL NOTWORKING site Facebook seems to be copying the failed Microsoft 'passport' scheme.
According to a Facebook press release, the site will use something which is called Facebook Connect to allow members to use their profile on other websites.
Apparently the service will enable a user's social-networking profile and log-in details to act as a web "passport", giving them quick and easy access to other sites that might be of interest. There are 24 sites signed up for the programme including Digg.
Facebook said that enabling users to take their "identity and network of friends with them around the web, while trusting that their privacy is protected, makes the web as a whole more open and connected".
While the new Facebook "passport" could mean more people visit different sites because they can use a single sign-on, it is exactly the same scenario that Microsoft faced when trying to expand its Hotmail operation.
Microsoft's passport system had to close down because of security and privacy problems for third-party sites. ยต
L'Inq
Telegraph
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With all of the privacy breaches (beacon, et al) that Facebook has been accused of, why in the world would ANYONE want to use their login on other sites and give them the keys to everything the user writes on Digg and other sites?
NOOO!!!! How has Passport closed down???!!?!?!? I was just using it yesterday! 

Really though, I do use Passport. It didn't shut down, it just changed it's name and its scope.
How can facebook use the phrase have your privacy protected in relation to themselves? i'm willing to bet more than 99% of users have no idea what personal details are available to complete strangers.

But hopefully this will work nicer than Google Open Social, which looks complete pony.