“Today’s Video Byte” is going to be a little different. Although it may seem regular, in that it begins with a video clip, this video in particular requires ample explanation and interpretation, so here we go:

Facebook is notorious for having really crappy “Privacy” settings…

There, I said it!

Now that you know, you may be thinking; “but, the entire idea of Facebook is to make things as public as possible, in order to share with those you know”.

While that may indeed be true, it is well known that Facebook holds on to your personal information, even after you have deleted your Facebook account.

This is something that people are (obviously), not the happiest about.

An organization known as Anonymous, has now decided to take matters into their own hands and has sent out a threat in classic “Ides of March” style. They are threatening to “kill Facebook” with a date set for November 5^th 2011!

Because the history, of the now widespread panic caused by the so called “Operation Facebook”, is pretty confusing and bizarre, I’ll try and break it down for you, step-by-step:

1. The original Anonymous “Operation Facebook” was not devised to “kill Facebook”, but rather to find a way to raise awareness about Facebook’s privacy problems.
2. After tinkering with a plan, the original team decided they had better things to do and ended they’re Gandhi inspired “passive resistance” activities.
3. They did a decent job cleaning up they’re online work, but “accidentally” left a trace of the single line that Facebook would “never forget” November 5^th…oops, (really guys?)
4. Others found the line; became obsessed with the idea of a Facebook takeover or hack attack and began blowing things out of proportion.
5. And finally, the media got wind of the operation, got a hold of the anonymously posted video above and threw a lot of people into confusion.

So here’s my take on this whole “Operation Facebook” situation:

1. I predict that nothing will happen to Facebook on November 5^th because these hackers are much more involved with the idea of destroying Facebook, then with actually making actionable steps to such an outcome.
2. The Anonymous video reminds me way, way too much of the strange Radiohead song “Fitter Happier”, off of their (except for this song, completely sublime album), OK Computer.

Additionally, I feel like all of this commotion will actually benefit the cyber community in a handful of ways:

• Hopefully Facebook will boost their own security settings in a preemptive response to this “operation”
• This should also be another shove to Google + developers, which will stress to them the importance of valuable and carefully constructed privacy settings
• It will also make people aware of the actual danger of the nonsense they circulate around the internet; which only further advances the goals of organizations like Anonymous

Thanks for reading, let us know what you think of “Operation Facebook”, below!

Jesse Braunstein is a Junior at NYU double majoring in Economics and Psychology. Jesse joined Madison Technology and SheBytes.com in May 2011 as a summer intern. Jesse has been instrumental in utilizing his expanding background to come up with creative perspectives on the Marketing, Advertising and Business Development initiatives at both Madison Technology and SheBytes.com. Jesse’s outlook stems from an Economics and Psychology education and a deep understanding of the individual and how the individual acts within and interacts with the market.  Follow Jesse on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his About.me.