Introduction:
Facebook is one of the largest and most utilized social networking sources available to our generation today. Since Facebook is so popular and well used, the need for privacy developed and since then has become an integral part of the site in an effort to protect the proliferation of user’s private information. Recent Update Settings of Facebook Privacy:
The security on Facebook includes a username and password as well as privacy settings for every user. The privacy settings are adjustable to reflect the users preference and control what “Everyone,” “Friends” and “Friends of Friends” can see on ones Facebook page.
According to Friending Facebook, a blog from ZD Net by Emil Protalinski, as of August 2011 the lastest revamping of facebook took place in late august. Users can now control such elements on their Facebook’s as inline profile controls, profile-tagging reviews, content tag reviews, and view profile as options.
-Inline profile control: users can now control privacy settings from your main profile screen.
-Profile-tagging reviews: users can approve of a picture they were tagged in before it shows up on their profile.
- Content tag: users can control the addition or rejection of a post or photo they have been tagged in before it becomes publicized.
- View profile as: user’s ability to see what the limitations and restrictions look like on their privacy settings to others.
The Good News:
The good thing is that Facebook does update its privacy settings every couple of months. More specifically, with this round of improvements the privacy settings are much simpler. This will encourage users to access the new adjustments, keeping them and their personal information better protected. Additionally, users can now control posts and photos they are tagged in. As a spokesman from the Slovakian IT security company ESET explained “It also might be a good idea to notify your friends that they can no longer threaten you with posting tagged photos of situations you can’t entirely remember, which can’t really be considered career-builders” (Protalinski, 2011).
The Problems:
The legal and ethical problems of Facebook privacy have to do with personal information being leaked as a result of people not knowing how to use the settings properly and children under the age of thirteen using Facebook. It is hard to tell when someone is lying about thier info, which is what The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (CCOPA) tries to protect children under the age of thirteen from. As well as the security concern of should government employees be allowed to have a Facebook since their personal information being leaked could be dangerous for many people. The social problem with Facebook Privacy is that people are all to willing to give out their personal information.
“Facebook users in the Carnegie Mellon University network discovered that 90.8% of users uploaded their images, 87.8% revealed their birth dates, 39.9% shared their phone numbers and 50.8% listed their current addresses” (Hongyu,G., Jun, H., Tuo, H., Jingnan, W., & Yan, C, 2011).
More Information: Conclusion:
For the most part Facebook can be considered a safe site, where one can display personal information. It comes down to the user being smart about who they let see their information, as well as what they want “Everyone” vs. just their “Friends” to know. It also relies on the user to notice when Facebook updates and what changes they need to be aware of. Users should constantly be aware of any and all updates Facebook makes and know how to control new settings for their privacy.
References:
Hongyu,G., Jun, H., Tuo, H., Jingnan, W., & Yan, C. (2011). Security Issues in Online Social Networks. IEEE Internet Computing, 15(4), 56-63. doi:10.1109/MIC.2011.50
http://mutex.gmu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=iih&AN=54992823&site=ehost-live
Protalinski, E. (2011, August 26). Security experts have mixed feelings about Facebook’s privacy
revamp.
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