Diaspora aims to capitalise on Facebook privacy rebellion
The approach that Facebook is taking to user privacy has prompted calls from some high profile users to leave the platform and create more open and less commercial social networks.
An open-source social network called Diaspora already hopes to exploit the backlash against Facebook’s privacy policies. Founded by four NYU students, the Diaspora social network will let users retain complete control of their information which will not be hosted on centralized servers.
Facebook is clearly a well established brand but, as even Google knows, rivals on the web are just a click away. So therefore any user complaints have to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently. The problem for Facebook is, as I see it, that their business goals might not allow them to deliver the kind of open platform which the founders of Diaspora, and others, might offer.
Privacy is a big concern for web users – and the notion of being spied on while using social networks to share personal information with your friends is not something that a lot of people are comfortable with. The question is how representative are these privacy critics of Facebook?
This development underlines how no web-based company can be complacent about how it introduces changes which impact upon its users. There is clearly a need to listen and collaborate closely with users. And there is clearly a tension between the commercial demands of the web and the demands of those who are using social networks for their own pleasure and social life.
This is a highly dynamic environment. All commercial organisations need to tread carefully within the social network environment and listen and collaborate with their customers who in theory can coalesce around them in seconds in protest or start migrating quickly to another service which treats them better.
You can read more about Diaspora here.
You can read more about user privacy issues and Facebook here.
May 14th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
You want to root for the guys at Dispora; it’s got that David vs. Goliath appeal. And congrats for raising (as of yesterday) 100k on kickstarter!
However, there are some companies already operational that were created anticipating the privacy backlash. I work for one, TrustWorks, that was designed with the goal of allowing trusted communication within private communities, and we launched in 2007!
Giles, Senior Editor, TrustWorks