Instagram Users Dismayed by Facebook Purchase

GMA ^ | 4/10/2012 | Joanna Stern

[jilliane]

...After the initial announcement on Monday of Facebook's plans to spend $1 billion on the photo-sharing site, you couldn't avoid the negative reaction on Twitter and Facebook, and even Instagram itself.

[jilliane]

To do password recovery on facebook, you get images you've never seen of people you know. facebook knows you know them. There is more to this $1 bil acquistion than teen socializing.

Zuckerberg is building a backend library of photos, connecting images across platforms, and enabling a name and facial recognition connectivity map.

[montag813]

Incredible waste of funds. But man what a lottery score for the NINE employees of Instagram, to split $1 billion. The founder alone gets $400 million.

[Hodar]

There are already articles detailing how to cancel and close your Instagram account. When you close, they ask you for a reason (optional); however it should be noted that the first available selection is “Privacy Concerns”.

As for those few lucky folk who worked for Instagram; whatever financial worries they had - they are OVER! Can you imagine going from working stiff, to mulit-millionare? I’m drooling already ....

[jilliane]

Per our discussion, in April, this is what I was talking about

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/idUS404710296120120618

Facebook buys facial recognition software...

[Hodar]

I noticed that article the other day. And, I asked myself “Why?”. Is the intent to recognize faces across photographs and ‘tag’ them automatically? This software is already available in Google’s Picassa (free download, and is actually a pretty neat photo utility), as well as built into the Apple OSX platform in iPhoto.

So, this is not ‘new’ revolutionary software. Or, are they intending to use this as a security measure, so you use your webcam to log into your Facebook account and your face is compared against your log. Is this part of a larger scheme - such as using this technology to screen known sex offenders who create a bogus account to stalk prey?

A company exists for only a one reason - to create a profit. I do not see how this technology will generate a profit.

Maybe a “Find your Twin” for $5?

[jilliane]

A company’s value increases with the value of its data. The value proposition for this software could have nothing to do with social....I am thinking govt., military, security, police.....cameras everywhere feeding realtime facial data into the system, always on, software matches face to name, name check against database, geocoding tied to cameras, coordinates delivered where the person is anytime....store the data...update ....reverse....enter name into system...system gives last tracked coordinates. Simple! Priceless.