The first thing you should do with Facebook Graph Search

Just reading this (HT LettersOfNote) and got to thinking: what am I going to do with Graph Search?\

(If you don't know what Facebook's Graph Search is...well, check out the link above and perhaps this. It's interesting and scary in equal measure.)

First, I'm going to show my 5 year old a couple of innocent searches. We're going to talk about privacy. (I know, I'm such a crazy, fun parent.)

I'm beginning to think that privacy education is a serious advantage as they grow up. It may become the most important bit of education kids get as Graph Search proves that anything online with your name on it is a potential threat. One misplaced post could be the end of all opportunities in life.

Then, I'm going to work through some less palatable searches, particularly of my colleagues. Why? So we can pre-emptively address anything that shows up which is a threat. Of course, if it shows up some really unpalatable stuff, we may need to have a chat but it's unlikely that employees of a tech-savvy start-up are going to put up anything that's in that category.

What it will do is force everyone to assess how much slack they cut people. If you have an employee in the EDL, is that a problem for you? If your employees are friends with lots of competitor employees, does that matter?

Then we're going to talk within the company about our attitude to Graph Search. Sales people will see it as a powerful tool to be used by the dark side; those in recruitment will be terrified and excited in equal measure. We need to decide just how far into each other's lives we want to look.

I can't help wonder whether it's a bit like Sauron's ring; even those who would use it for good are ultimately sucked into that which is bad.

Perhaps you start by trying to weed out the racists, but ultimately you end up weeding out everyone you disagree with?

Perhaps Graph Search will increase prejudice? Perhaps it'll play on prejudices you don't know you have?