> When Facebook was first launched, there wasn't any widespread understanding of the breadth/intensity of their data collection

Come on, you're trying to tell me that people didn't understand that when they give someone a thing, that someone has the thing they gave them?

> provided genuine value

Yes, the convenience.

> how much personal data was being collected from them

"They collected it; I didn't give it to them."

> but feel like there's no longer a viable alternative that would allow them to maintain the same level of communication with the people they care about.

Yes, "the pesky convenience is forcing me."

> Facebook users are not "choosing convenience" by staying on the only platform that all of their friends and family use exclusively.

"My friends and family are forcing me."

Despite my comments, I'm not totally against the use of Facebook, but I am against the surrender of personal agency and blame-shifting these comments are demonstrating.

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Timon3 5 hours ago | parent [-]

> Come on, you're trying to tell me that people didn't understand that when they give someone a thing, that someone has the thing they gave them?

This is a bad faith argument, because Facebook collects far, far more than "the thing they gave them".

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jolmg 4 hours ago | parent [-]

It's true they collect more, but I wouldn't say "far, far more". They get the most from what you provide yourself. That's unless you have relationships that share too much about you.

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Timon3 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Did they stop tracking people through their like buttons by now? If not, there's no argument - they're literally tracking non-users on every site they can! Besides Google, what company is doing as much tracking as much as Facebook?

Wasn't it just last year that it became known how Facebook and Instagram apps track your browsing through WebRTC? That alone is far far more than people knowingly give them.

	▲	jolmg 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Learning about their tracking web browsing through WebRTC ports from the apps, you have a point on users not knowingly providing that. Still, if you dissociate from Facebook (not having their apps, not being logged on, etc.) then that tracking would've been ineffective. The rest of my comment stands on their being able to leave it.
	▲	4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
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