tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17839575.post849951196251746780..comments2024-03-17T23:50:03.863+08:00Comments on Government and Taxes: Spontaneous Market 8: Facebook and LibertyBienvenido Oplas Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799756132761366267noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17839575.post-51849116541047741752009-08-12T07:03:57.351+08:002009-08-12T07:03:57.351+08:00Thanks Katherine, points well-taken. Yes, there ar...Thanks Katherine, points well-taken. Yes, there are trade-offs in freebies. So the "no free lunch" reality almost always applies.<br /><br />And not only the owners of facebook, all users of facebook also use the pictures and information by other people for their own purposes. I copy and save some pictures posted by my friends, they do the same. <br /><br />At the end of the day, everything in facebook, google, yahoo, etc. become "public" resources and "private" ownership of some guys. So it's up to us users of those free social networking sites which of our pictures and personal information we are willing to share with anyone, and which ones to keep for ourselves. I think there is a lot of leeway for personal freedom and personal responsibility to be practiced and observed there.Bienvenido Oplas Jrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07799756132761366267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17839575.post-88084687098768202052009-08-10T19:06:25.970+08:002009-08-10T19:06:25.970+08:00I am a huge fan of the libertarian movement, and s...I am a huge fan of the libertarian movement, and so I thank you for bringing their name into discussion. It is true that the concept of free market (in which we do not function at the moment, as you should know, being that the government uses subsidies to buoy up certain goods in our countries, and as we use watchdogs like the SEC to ferret out [or not] bad guys like Bernie Madoff) is one which theoretically would permit the rise and fall of new and leaner gladiators in today's economy. <br /><br />However, your laudatory analysis of the virtuousness of these websites is a bit misguided. The entrepreneurs at Facebook created the company, as you said, because they wanted to make a lot of money -- not because they give a damn about freedom of expression. And let's be clear about one point: Have you read their privacy policy? They are not restricted in sharing any information you put on their website with ANYONE. They can sell this information (still smart entrepreneurs!)to anyone who will buy it.<br /><br />Who would most benefit from free access to the personal information of a vast majority of people in the First World countries today?<br /><br />I leave you with that thought. The people at Facebook are not those who will liberate us and give us a free voice in the world. The smart consumer, who uses his money and abilities to inform himself at all times in order to eventually make the government one day irrelevant, will do this for himself. Joining an online community which can turn around and sell our information to the government is not the way to illustrate that we're smart enough to make these right choices yet.kentigarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12223276384040581348noreply@blogger.com