Does Privacy on Facebook, Google, and Twitter Even Matter?

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Illustration by Frank Chimero

Farhad Manjoo discovers the problem with Web privacy -- and it's us.

What was Google thinking? When the search company launched Buzz a couple of months ago, engineers came up with what they thought was a clever way to kick-start the new social-networking service: They would build Buzz directly into Gmail. Kick-starter number two: Buzz would mine your contacts so you didn't land in a sterile service all by your lonesome (which is what happened with Google Wave)...