It is important to know about the privacy settings that directly affect YOU.
You may think the information you share with various social media platforms is safe, but take a closer look at how they use that info, and who they share it with.
Facebook (FB) uses info about you to track your online activity elsewhere. They monitor which device you use, your IP address, your internet service, location, the type of browser you use and even the pages you visit.
Your information is mostly shared with advertisers, so they can "serve" you more appropriate advertisements based on your location and interests. Comments you leave on pages with an FB platform will be directly linked to the information the social media mogul is already storing about you.
FB holds onto information they have amassed about you, at least until you delete your account. Account deletion takes up to 90 days, and certain "data retention practices" may still apply after this time.
Anything you post on Twitter (TW) becomes property of the site. You automatically grant them rights to worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license of your post. They may reproduce, modify and publicize this post to any other network, or data service at any time.
Remember that search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc..) can pick up your post and other shared content through a search cache. The info you share on social media platforms such as FB and TW, can therefore be found in a public search engine. It is easy to lose track of where your comments, posts and photos end up.
While posting your physical location seems harmless, it can be dangerous to publicly announce where you are. Think twice before attaching a location to your post. Again, your audience may be larger than you think.
Of course, private information (such as credit card numbers, banking info, etc.) should NEVER be shared on social media sites. Remember, all information (your name, birthdate...) is connected to a larger database that makes up your online persona. Be aware of what information you let out and always remember to keep some things off limits!
A Brief History of Facebook Privacy Issues:
2006: News feed Nuisance
Facebook launched the "news feed" in 2006, many users were upset because they could no longer control who could see their posts, and because an opt-out service was not available.
A "Students Against Facebook News Feed" group was set up by university student Ben Parr. The group gathered nearly 300,000 members in two days. The result was a public apology from Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s creator.
2007: Bad Beacon
Facebook added a system to track user’s purchases and activities on partner websites. Purchasing information was publicized without user’s consent. General user dissatisfaction led to yet another apology from Zuckerberg. By 2009 Beacon was shut down.
2009: Shift in Settings
Facebook made changes to privacy settings to make sharing information publicly a default setting. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union launched petitions and campaigns against the new privacy settings. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission. Canada’s privacy commissioner also launched an investigation.
In response to complaints, Facebook agreed to give users notice when their information was shared, and to make an effort to obtain consent before sharing information publicly.
2010: Message Mayhem
A glitch in the system caused private messages on Facebook to be delivered to unintended recipients. More complaints about Facebook privacy settings were issued by individual users, as well as union groups. The Wall Street Journal revealed that Facebook and other social media platforms had been sending data to advertising companies “despite promises they don’t share such information without consent”.
Zuckerberg responded on the Facebook blog, saying the company would make efforts to give users more control over privacy settings and more of a say about what information goes public.
2011: Time for timeline
Facebook added "Timeline" to users’ Facebook pages. Many worried this new display set-up would publicize information stored from previous years of Facebook use. Information on friends' pages was publicized without individual user's consent.
2012: "Like" leads to Lawsuits
Facebook launched the "like" button in 2010 to allow users to share information about products and services they appreciated online. Clicking the "like" button, however, quickly made Facebook users unintentional brand ambassadors online. Class action law suits were filed against Facebook when some users found their names and photos connected to advertisements they did not knowingly endorse.
In response, Facebook offered a clarification to users of what the implications of using the "like" button could be. They offered users the chance to opt-out of participation in product endorsement by being more careful about what they "liked".
References:
https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy
8 Facebook privacy flaps
Facebook users have raised concerns over 'news feeds,' 'like' button and policy changes
By Daniel Schwartz, CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/09/25/f-facebook-privacy-list.html
Images: morguefile.com
Privacy Matters
COMS 505