Not necessarily. I block FB at my router at home and via DNS on my phone, reject mail from them at my server and use a browser blocker for their web bugs at work. And still "my" data leaks to them via other people who apparently upload address books, tag me in photos and whatever other mechanisms for soliciting data on nonmembers they've ginned up.
I know this because before I started bouncing their mail I'd get an endless stream of spam from them about how many friends desperately wished I'd sign up.
but you're not the one giving them that data - your friends/others are. Not sure how that can be avoided in any social networking type of application. Those applications are pretty much 'public' space in today's world. People who really need to keep their real identities private today (ie some law enforcement personnel) are in a tough place these days.
Correct. And one of my biggest gripes with F*%#book. Perhaps it can't be entirely avoided in a social networking app, but there's a difference between unwanted leakage and active encouragement. Providing incentives to people to rat out my data is scummy.
Unfortunately, scummy is what I've come to expect from them.
Educate your surroundings. No pictures by default, if they do make pictures and you're in them no facebook. Tag me on facebook and you're off my IRL friends list and if you're family then you can strike me off the birthday invite list.
I know this because before I started bouncing their mail I'd get an endless stream of spam from them about how many friends desperately wished I'd sign up.