An interesting clash over who owns data developed between Plaxo, a company that manages business contacts, and Facebook, a social networking company. Facebook doesn't allow its members to automatically gather the contact information of a member's "friends"; their business model relies on social interactions that take place through Facebook. Plaxo manages contact information, and Plaxo would benefit if a Facebook member could move contact information from Facebook to Plaxo.
Plaxo created software to move contact information from Facebook to Plaxo. Plaxo even created image-recognition software to read the email addresses that were stored on Facebook in image format (which Facebook used for the precise purpose of avoiding automatic scanning).
Facebook detected the scans and shut down accounts of people who attempted to use Plaxo software. At present, it's not clear how this will work itself out.
I discussed the looming battle over contact information in my book. This is one of the opening skirmishes, and we can expect this to continue to play out over the next decade at least, and expand to other forms of data.
There is a way to defuse the battle, however. An initiative to disaggregate social-networking data from social-networking sites sent an invitation to Facebook to join; so far Facebook has refused. While I wonder at the motives of some who have joined the initiative, I look forward with interest as to how well it succeeds.
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