the fact that Facebook gets exclusive access to data that I think is rightfully public knowledge The way I see it is the raw information itself isn't secret/pr

the fact that Facebook gets exclusive access to data that I think is rightfully public knowledge The way I see it is the raw information itself isn't secret/private, but Facebook is the one who busted their collective asses collecting and organizing it. Similar to how companies don't have unlimited rights to Craigslist's data, the company owns the database. Facebook can't come sue you for sharing your personal information with other people- it's still YOUR information- but their catalog is theirs to do with as they see fit. A (probably poor) analogy is a calculator. You, oh holder of the calculator, do not own mathematics. You don't have a license on the numbers that go in, nor the numbers that come out. Numbers belong to everyone. But you do own the calculator, and it is entirely within your rights to control who uses it and how.