What does transparency mean to you? In the online advertising industry it conjures one of two things: 1) for the advertiser, full insight into the ad serving stack (from agency to publisher) or 2) for the consumer, full insight into the targeting data ad networks and data providers collect (e.g., Google, Bluekai).

I believe that all this hype surrounding online privacy is a red herring, especially with regards to Facebook. I do wonder how many people logged into their "favorite" social network yesterday to see how much easier Mark Zuckerberg has made his settings for us. Most people, however, don't really care about their Facebook profile's privacy. The "Quit Facebook Day" protest groups are barely gaining membership.

First off, I'll state that I'm not getting onto the "let's tear down Facebook bandwagon". I have a tempered attitude towards the changing SocNet landscape (as much as I do enjoy a well placed tirade). There are a lot of people predicting Facebook and Zuckerberg's demise, but the fact is there are a lot of smart parties at that table with an interest in not imploding. It's not just Zuckerberg's to lose. I'd rather talk about more fundamental forces, largely external to Facebook and the other SocNets, that will contribute to change.