Good Bye Mr. Zuckerberg. I am done with facebook

Hello Mr. Zuckerberg

I hope this letter finds you surrounded with the millions of your virtual friends and may you earn several more points on farmville.

I want to thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to be part of the well thought-out social network that you created for us (from your dorm room while sobbing over your girlfriend's rejection).  At the time of this post (7/5/2011) I have hundreds of friends on your social network - I don't know what would happen to those deep rooted friendships when they are left in ether with no worthless "updates" to foster them.

I am not complaining and I am not going to write a long blog about "why facebook did not delete my account but only deactivated it".  I understand that nothing is free and I was privileged to be in this precious space provided by you to enjoy the company of so many "friends".

When I leave facebook, I doubt that it will leave any mark on this giant empire because as I leave it several thousand more will join it.  As "Playboy" magazine loses its subscribers to death many new ones are born and in the same vain, I am sure no permanent mark will be left.

But I would nevertheless let you know about some of the less than perfect features that you have taken great pains in incorporating:

• Privacy - what privacy?  You have so eloquently said yourself that even the limited privacy (if any) that facebook offers was a mistake and if done again even that would not be incorporated.  I really respect your opinion ("People vs Larry Flynt" granted you that absolute right) but I would beg to differ.  Privacy is what humanity is all about.  Those who spill their guts in public are closer to dumb animals rather than enlightened human beings.  Those who spread rumors are guilty of a moral crime - not merely exercising their Zuckerberg given right.
• Selling my information so cheaply!  You could atleast charge a bit more;  atleast we would then not feel so bad.  Using my information to show me something is one thing but to sell my information to some no-name third party!  Or did you never imagine that something like that could ever happen
• Whats the deal with those embarrassing posts from some of my friends?  You know those "Dad walks in ... crap".  Was that some feature that every facebook user accepted as well?  And if they accepted why am I subjected to that?  Oh because there is no fundamental right to privacy - I forgot.
• And what about that "well thought out" photo tagging feature.  You really did not foresee any abuse?  Or did I also sign up for other people's Zuckerberg given right to tag anything as my picture and I am supposed to "Find those people and un-friend them".
• Do you really not have any close friends?  and what about family?  What about siblings, close relatives, and those who you know from work?  Are these privacy boundaries totally unknown to you?  Let me educate you on this God given sphere that the rest of us enjoy.  What you tell your wife or sibling may not be appropriate for those other hundreds of friends!  I know you will say "well that is in our policy" or that "you don't have to post on your wall" - I know, as I said I am not complaining and I will not file any lawsuit - just telling you about the small things in life in the real world.
• What the hell were you thinking with Social Ad pairing?  Sometimes I wonder if your IQ is 20 or 200?  You really think if I like some company - I automatically want all of my friends to know about it?  Really?  And you were so confidant about it that by default everyone got this enabled.  So if someone "likes" a certain drug's ad, you in your immense wisdom thought it will be completely appropriate that all of their friends would like to see their picture next to that ad whenever that ad was displayed.

So please do not mind that I am returning this great gift back to you - I can only pray to God that you do not abuse the information that you have on me in your vaults.  

Whats next for me?  I can't say that I am done with social networking web sites - not that this is an essential part of our internet experience, just that I am only human.  Every social networking site is not the same but none of them are essential.  There is a certain difference between Playboy magazine, People magazine, and National Geographic magazine.  To each their own!

So long

Saad Ahmad