As a sci-fi geek, when I heard of Facebook’s changes, the first thing that came to mind was how it’s becoming like Skynet — and I wasn’t the only one to think that.
All right, maybe it’s an exaggeration to compare Facebook to the artificial intelligence software that tried to destroy mankind in the “Terminator” movies. But like the ubiquitous Skynet, it is integrating itself into many major Web sites in new ways.
Facebook is giving outside Web sites access to the information you make public. You should take the time to go back into your privacy settings and see what new ways it has attached itself to your online life.
For example, go on CNN.com and you’ll see a widget that shows which CNN stories have been shared by people who are your Facebook friends. If you’re not logged in to Facebook, it just shows what stories are popular with all Facebook users.
Some of these changes are cool and make sharing quicker — such as being able to mark that you “like” a Web site without ever going to Facebook.
Or if you listen to music on Pandora.com, it can recommend playlists based on the artists you like on Facebook.
Your friends on Facebook can also share details about you via the Web sites they go to — as long as you make that info available to everyone. The example Facebook uses is when a friend goes to a greeting card Web site, that site may prompt the friend that your birthday is coming up (if your birthday isn’t private).
Here’s how to control what is being shared on these sites:
_ Control what your friends share: Under Privacy settings, click “Applications and Web sites.” You’ll see the option to control what info Web sites can tap into from your friends’ accounts and share (as long…