Paul Buchheit wrote an interesting post on his blog about Facebook being a hypocrite. Paul poignantly points out that when we all signed up for Facebook we let an automated service troll our email accounts to obtain email account information.

Facebook has the right to ban whomever they want for whatever reason they want; but the old adage of ‘Do what I say, Not what I do’ never really sat well with me.

Certainly Facebook’s move to block automated programs is making every Facebook user safer, but Facebook needs to find a way to balance safety with usability. If Facebook becomes a sandbox that doesn’t allow its users to expand beyond its web pages, Facebook will face the way of the Dodo.