I am ashamed of myself.

Nov 23, 2011

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For a while now I’ve been wavering over the deletion of my Klout profile. I’ve been aware of some issues over privacy and attitudes to users, but I’ve been allowing the benefits of having a high score to sway me.

What benefits, you may say? Well, the most obvious one for me is that Klout is a part of the metrics that make up the tots100 score, and I’m rather proud of my place in the top 100. I don’t know precisely what effect removing Klout will have – my understanding is that if I delete my profile my Klout will show as zero rather than the fake score given to ppl who’ve never signed up.

Oh yes, if you’re connected to me via twitter or facebook, I’m afraid you have a Klout profile. Whether you wanted one or not. I’m not sure whether they’ve resolved the issue with private profiles on fb – but at one point they were creating Klout profile pages for ppl who were locked down on fb, which then gave the person a preliminary score although I don’t see how they could follow connections through without having being authorised. Not good. If you want to opt out you can, the link is current hidden in the privacy policy in the footer of the page, but has a habit of moving around depending on how many high profile ppl are trying to opt out.

[ETA before you opt out, take note of which networks you’d added to Klout. Once you’ve opted out, you need to go to each network/ application and revoke Klout’s access or they can continue harvesting your data as per ~~Dabney’s article here~~ Link removed due to malware warning while I investigate].

So tonight, I’ve joined in with the exodus and I’ve deleted my profile. These are the reasons I gave:

“I do not like to be viewed as a commodity rather than a person, and I don’t like the attitude towards privacy that Klout is currently displaying. There is also no responsibility or transparency in calculating a score which has become vital to some ppl’s ability to hold down or gain a job, and this is something I do not wish to endorse. ”

By continuing to play the Klout game, I was endorsing a system that is giving individuals in marketing/ PR problems left right and centre as it arbitrarily changed scores without anyone knowing how it worked. I was condoning invasion of privacy via ppl with no awareness having profiles created for them, and letting brands think I agreed with my reputation being a part of their marketing. I don’t agree with any of those things, and so I’ve pulled out. It took an article Midlife Single Mum pointed me at to crystallize that thinking, but I’m there, and I feel somewhat liberated.

I’m only ashamed it’s taken me so long.

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Comments

20 responses to “I am ashamed of myself.”

Dabney Porte
23 November 2011
I agree with all you said. I have joined the Klout Free Zone. I believe we have been manipulated via a marketing company claiming to be the “standard” of influence. I once encouraged, supported and promoted Klout and I too feel ashamed. I feel tricked. Thanks for taking the time to write this. I started a post that turned out to be 4 pages long…and I have yet to post it. There is just so much to say. So much deception in my opinion. It will interesting to see what happens. xoxo
Reply
1. Jax
  23 November 2011
  Thanks for coming by to comment. Yes, I could have written reams on this, but I decided to keep it short, sweet and hopefully pertinent. And maybe eventually we’ll get the message through.
  Reply
2. Nickie
  23 November 2011
  I’d be interested in reading that if you ever choose to post it. Maybe serialise it?
  Reply
Dave H
23 November 2011
I just looked at mine, under ‘influential topics’ it has cats, toothpaste and law. Not quite sure how it gets that last couple.
Given that I never signed up with them, and I’m not prepared to give them my Twitter login, I assume there’s no way to delete a profile. Not that I’m too bothered by it, it’s only collecting public information I’ve allowed onto the net. I long ago decided that I’m a marketing department’s nightmare because there’s no easily-trackable reasoning behind my buying choices.
Reply
1. Jax
  23 November 2011
  You could try the email address, but like you say, if it’s only harvesting publicly available data and getting that wrong, it might not be something you’re particularly worried about.
  Reply
  1. Dabney Porte
    23 November 2011
    The problem is they are taking our public data and claiming to be “measuring” our online success. How? How? They have no transparency and they in fact have no right to “score” people who do not wish to be scored. Imagine what would happen if companies started taking our online activity and manipulated it to market themselves…which is in my opinion, and that of many…exactly what Klout is doing. You should be required to opt in to something like this…not spend time attempting to find how you can opt out. Which by the way you can do by writing to the company.
    Reply
HHaricot
23 November 2011
hmm, but does it really have me? cos i have to link it to facebook to be able to see and then opt out?
Reply
1. Jax
  23 November 2011
  It has your twitter account, with a score of 10. Am not sure of your facebook tbh. You can email them, there’s an email link on the privacy policy page or the opt out page, can’t remember which.
  Reply
  1. HHaricot
    23 November 2011
    gardening or haricot? cos presumably 10 is rubbish!! [as i barely use them] also presuming if i logged in to delete, they would then harvest all my contacts? and currently they prob don’t have them, so best to just ignore?
    Reply
  2. HHaricot
    23 November 2011
    looking at it, in the search button, it doesn’t seem to find much on me, and in its blog says it doesn’t interrogate private data. my fb, twitter hh are private, and the gardening twitter public. it contains nothing useful about me! so happy just to leave well alone.
    Reply
ChildLedChaos
23 November 2011
Ah, I didn’t know you could completely opt out, or about their lack of privacy. I also don’t actually care, so I shall join the exodus: http://klout.com/ChildLedChaos Thanks!
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Nickie
23 November 2011
I’m not sure I agree with the “invasion of privacy” part of this post especially as you mention earlier that the preliminary score couldn’t be accurate if they couldn’t be measured properly because I believe that if we use SOCIAL media then we should expect to be analysed (see my comment to MidlifeSingleMum on my post).
However – opting out is definitely a good idea if you don’t want to be measured and it would be more appropriate to opt in (something that REALLY annoys me) if you wanted to be involved. I also think that if employment really hinges on a score made up by someone far, far away using metrics that are kept secret then those companies really need to get a grip!
I’m loving this discussion – it’s been really interesting hearing all the different points of view. And thanks for the linkback.
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Michelle Twin Mum
23 November 2011
Have not read any of the other local posts on this but read a fab one from a social medis guru the other week and that was the first I was hearing of all the downsides of Klout and how it is adversly effecting some people.
I took my Klout badge off my blog & have no idea what my score is. Have yet to actually go over and opt out though, not sure it is that important to me.
Any job I take will never depend on a Klout score, I just do nto work in that kind fo role.
Mich x
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Midlife Singlemum
24 November 2011
I did opt out a couple of days ago but didn’t know I had to go to fb and twitter to change the access settings, so thanks for that. As for Linked-in, I was invited to join but always refused until it appeared as a factor on Klout. I am ashamed to say that this is what pushed me to join in hte end. I think I’ll just leave – what do I need it for? And thanks for the link :). I sent you the article because you are still my techno-guru.
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mammasaver
24 November 2011
I check my Klout every day, and have absolutely no idea why I do it.
My blog is quite new, and I suppose I use it to try and guage any kind of impact that it might have.
However, as I’m allegedly influential on Meryl Streep, I can hardly think it accurate, nor helpful.
I must wean myself off it – it’s just an arbitrary measure of something or other, which I am ashamedly addicted to.
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brobof
24 November 2011
Since my name was raised by @bluebus I had a little poke: http://www.waxingunlyrical.com/2011/11/21/why-a-social-credit-score-is-an-empty-and-dangerous-notion/
Personally I find the idea obnoxious and their methods dubious…
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mum of all trades
24 November 2011
I have no idea about most of the stuff to do with blogging. I am completely shocked after I’ve read this! I do have a Klout account but I only checked it once, think I will delete it now.
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Dean
24 November 2011
Well I have also joined the exodus, I have become increasingly concerned about a number of metrics including klout. I will be withdrawing from all of them, they are having to much impact on people’s behaviors and in my opinion affecting what they do. To many (and yes I was one) seek to understand and manipulate them, which surely flys in the face of what they are meant to represent. Especially in the world if bloggers, I don’t want people linking and commenting for the score I want it because they value what I write.
With klout I didn’t want to be told my followers were having a negative effect on my score because they not influential! I value every follower equally and feel privileged they choose to follow me.
Ok going to stop now!!
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JulieMRB
5 April 2013
Thanks for this Jax. I have read this and the comments. I had no idea. :-/
Reply
1. Jax
  6 April 2013
  I don’t know whether there have been any changes since this post, really must check.
  Reply