Concerned About Facebook Privacy? You May Want to Try the New Site 'Unthink

A new social media site says it's time for a social revolution, an emancipation; that it's "F-U time." F-U being Facebook versus Unthink.

Unthink, a new social media site, promises users an experience free from privacy issues.

It began development in secret a few years ago, is a Tampa Bay, Fla., start-up that launched formally this week and is already reported to be at capacity.

Taking Facebook users, who are concerned about how their information is being used and hate endless site redesigns and updates, is Unthink's ultimate goal. TechCrunch has more:

[...] the majority of Unthink’s message is about what it is not: it’s not another social network, it’s a social revolution. Unthinkers are not users, they’re owners. Unthink is not in control, you are. And so on. It even has its own manifesto, deeds and covenants.

If we want to be free, we have to control our own communications…we have to claim that power,” CEO Natasha Dedis shouted with vitriol to the crowd at September’s Tampa Bay Barcamp (the un-conference), before delving into all the ways that Facebook does its users wrong.

Check out Unthink's video, which details reasons for creating the site:

TechCrunch says Dedis came up with the idea for Unthink when her son asked to sign up for Facebook and she read its terms of service, which she didn't agree with "because they could change at any time."

Watch Tampa Bay's local news report about the site's features and the almost immediate interest generated by those invited to join:

CNET reports that Unthink was founded in 2008 with $2.5 million in funding from DouglasBay Capital. Although Unthink says it won't use the your information for any sort of commercial gain, to generate revenue, it does have users pick a brand to have on their pages. CNET continues:

Beyond this casual reference to brands and advertising, Unthink's actual business model is unclear. According to TechCrunch, which first reported about Unthink's public beta, users who choose not to align themselves with a brand can instead pay a $2 annual fee.

Some sites are skeptical over whether users would actually make freedom and privacy priority enough to join this site over Facebook and if would even come close to rivaling Facebook's 800 million users.

ReadWriteWeb likens Facebook to the Microsoft Windows in that it's tolerable to people and they therefore may not change, even if they agreed with it in theory:

In more than 10 years promoting the Linux desktop, I never found more than a small percentage of users who were willing to prioritize freedom over the practicality of using Windows. And it's not like people love Windows — most folks I've talked to tolerate Windows, at best. They may love some of the applications, but for the most part they stuck with Windows simply because it was easier.

Forbes holds a similar sentiment:

It’s impossible to overstate just how important the convenience factor is here. For all-purpose social networking, Facebook has everything most users want and need, including family and friends already signed up who might be reluctant to move.

It seems as if new Facebook privacy concerns or complaints emerge on a weekly basis. The latest stems from a complaint from users outside the U.S. and Canada, where the site is run by subsidiary Facebook Ireland, that Facebook could be maintaining information you delete from your profile.