Facebook: Big Friend or Big Brother?

Facebook: Big Friend or Big Brother?

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Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon are the masters of this new universe. Each dominates an overlapping realm of activity and enterprise on the Internet – social media, search engine, hardware design, software and online commerce. And each is now so huge that they can kill or buy most competitors and set the standards for online engagement for us all.

Of the five giants, Facebook has fewer detractors simply because people think of it less as a business than as a cool way to contact friends. The company has generally been quick to respond to complaints when it has pushed the boundaries of privacy too quickly. And, yet, they have never stopped enticing users to give up just a little more information day after day. Now, each person’s Facebook page is being revamped to appear on a timeline stretching back to birth and it is more tempting than ever to tell all to an ever-increasing number of friends.