Facebook is driving me freakin' nuts

[Magus]

Now, this may be old news, because it's been a few weeks since I tried to log on to Facebook, but it's driving me nuts. Now they want me to give them my phone number so they can send me an automated message verify that I only have one account on Facebook? Are they kidding me? For one thing, I probably have two, since I think I made one a long, long time ago, and then made a new one, but frankly it didn't even have my real name attached to it or my current email, and I never use it, so...yeah.

Also, they assume I have a mobile phone and number. I don't have a mobile phone number. I have a pay-as-you-go phone I use for the few emergency calls I make or the few job-related calls I make but since it charges me half a minute just to check or send text messages, I'm not going to make the mistake of giving Facebook the number since I'm sure they will probably, even if they only sent me "important" things, end up costing me lots of money.

I'm also assuming that this thing isn't going to work with with my land line if it's via a text message, nor would I ever want to give Facebook my land line phone number even if it was an actual automated recording to my house.

Does anybody know of a way around this, such as through email or some other method? Why is Facebook being so idiotic recently? I've heard complaint after complaint over the past year about their invasions of privacy, but didn't see much to worry about personally because I have very little on there for people to see in the first place, and keep it set to the strictest privacy settings, and only use it to look at one or two of my relatives' accounts. But now they're even getting to me with their inanity.

EDIT: Well, going through the Yahoo! Answers page (which is rife with complaints that Facebook isn't returning any emails or requests), I figured out how to send a question to their Privacy Policy department about how to get around this/why they are collecting people's cell phone numbers. Unfortunately, people have complained it has taken weeks to get a response, if they get one at all, so we'll see how it works out.

Here is to seeing my brother's Thanksgiving photos in January!

[Bells]

Honest question... why people like Facebook? I mean, aside from sending "twitter like" messages to a couple of friends, posting photos and using THOUSANDS of useless apps.... what's it for?

Of all the Social Networks ever, Orkut is the only one i got around to actually stick with it.

[synkr0nized]

...I've never given Facebook a telephone number of any kind. ??????


I got into FB because my account was in the process of being created by coworkers who were angry at me for refusing to join it. I figured if there was going to be an account out there for me, I may as well be the one in charge of it. Since then, it's been an easy way to see what folks have done in a day, if they made any updates. I don't use it for any of the apps/surveys/"games", but I guess that's a big draw to it for others.

I see Facebook as sort of Twitter without being as limited and egotistical, but that might not be true any more, what with there being so many similarities in how folks are using either.


I see LinkedIn as the better network for academic/professional aims, but I still haven't created my profile there...

[bluestarultor]

Yeah, you might want to check your apps. If any of them have control over your account, chances are something is trying to data-mine you.

Frankly, having any app on that thing is a pretty dumb idea, to be blunt. The games are all designed to addict you into a slavering shell, all of them collect information about you, and some of them constantly spam your friends' pages with annoying, well, spam. I'd suggest just wiping the lot of them and cutting your losses if you were gullible enough to spend real money on them.

[McTahr]

It's nice for organizational purposes. If I want to get a few friends together for a social get-together I don't have to shoot texts to a bunch of contacts and hope I don't forget someone.

And if I want to talk to friends who aren't big into instant messenger services like MSN or AIM without having to spam text on a phone keyboard, it's nice as well.

I have every single facebook game ever blocked from my shit, and I hide stupid people, and I haven't given it a lick of even vaguely important information, nor have I ever needed to or been asked to.

Like I can see not having a use for it, but the people who consider it the herald of sinful computing and morons really have no grounds as generally every complaint they make has no basis in reality.

[Fifthfiend]

Thread achievement: Convince Fifth to sign up for a myspace whatever it was we were talking about.

THE LAST PERSON HAS JOINED

INITIATE: PHASE THREE

[Tev]

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

Thread achievement: Convince Fifth to sign up for a myspace whatever it was we were talking about.

THE LAST PERSON HAS JOINED

INITIATE: PHASE THREE

I'm still not on Facebook.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Facebook is really useful if you travel a lot/have friends in stupid countries.

[Hanuman]

Originally Posted by McTahr

It's nice for organizational purposes.

It's good for people who have people to see, things to go to and connections to network.

[Magus]

I barely use Facebook, I don't use games and stuff, either, though I think I tried out two back when I started (they were pretty horrible so I didn't bother after that). According to what I can find on the internet, I think it's a new requirement imposed to try and get rid of people having multiple accounts. I don't really have anything on there myself, I just use it to look at literally two people's pages.

This is what it says when I log in:

1.
Step 1
Restore Account

Choose a verification method

To continue, we need you to provide your phone number. This quick security check helps keep Facebook a community of real people who connect and share using their real identities.

*
Receive a text message
*
Receive an automated phone call

When I click on "Why am I seeing this?" it says:

Why do I need to confirm my identity by providing my phone number?
This is a security measure that helps make sure that you’re a real per...
This is a security measure that helps make sure that you’re a real person with just one Facebook account.

To confirm your identity, all you need to do is to follow the on-site instructions to add your mobile phone number. As soon as we confirm who you are, you’ll be able to access your Facebook account again. We won’t contact you by phone without your permission.

Please note that If you have more than one Facebook account, this is a violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and your extra accounts will be disabled. When you choose which account you want to keep, please verify your identity using that account.

The thing is, why is there only one method of doing this? I don't have a cellphone.

EDIT:

Oh my dear God.

Please look at the way you verify it otherwise:

Confirm Your Identity - Gaming Accounts
Please provide the following information to help confirm that you're using your real name and have only one account.
Full name:
On your account
Date of birth:
Your login email address:
Upload an image of your government-issued photo ID:
You can upload a scanned image or a digital photo (.jpg, .jpeg, .tiff, .pdf, or .doc). Please black out sensitive personal information, such as your Social Security Number.
Please only submit this information once. We will email you as soon as we're able to verify your information.

See the part I put in Bold? I'll repeat what they want:

Upload an image of your government-issued photo ID:
You can upload a scanned image or a digital photo (.jpg, .jpeg, .tiff, .pdf, or .doc). Please black out sensitive personal information, such as your Social Security Number.

I'm pretty sure UPLOADING A SCANNED IMAGE OF MY DRIVER'S LICENSE TO THE INTERNET IS A LOT TO ASK, FACEBOOK.

So it's basically give them your phone number or REALLY compromise your privacy/security.