Five years ago these two topics would have never converged but now they seem to be all over the news and on many people’s minds. Just how private are your Facebook posts? How private is your personal information? How private are your pictures? Do they really stay somewhere in cyberspace forever?
I wondered those very same things and contemplated how much of my life I want others to know. I don’t mind my close friends knowing certain things but, geez, do I really have over 500 close friends? I think not!
The last time Facebook installed a new privacy feature I went into my account settings and basically set all personal items (pictures, cell numbers, what I like to do, etc.) to a customized setting so that only I can view them. I did leave a few albums viewable to my friends only and am very conscious of what is in those albums.
I was spurred to do this when I discovered that if you are tagged in a picture that all the friends of the person who tagged you and any other people tagged in the photo can then get access to your information. I also noticed that once the new settings took effect I was able to view people’s profiles/pictures/walls that weren’t even my friends. I must admit I did some snooping but all for research, I assure you. 😉
The gist of what I think is this: Facebook is what you make of it (shoulder shrug). If you feel like you want your life to be on display for the world to see, this is your vehicle. If you want to simply connect and share with friends, be sure your account settings are configured correctly. If you are super-sensitive about your private life and live in terror of identity theft and alien attacks, then just stay off.
Stevi Dram, Director
Information Technology
University of Winnipeg Division of Continuing Education
Tel: (204) 982-1168
Email: s.dram@UWinnipeg.ca
Web: dce.UWinnipeg.ca
Web: dce.UWinnipegCourses.ca
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Other Related Links:
- Making Control Simple by Mark Zuckerberg
- When we started Facebook, we built it around a few simple ideas. People want to share and stay connected with their friends and the people around them. When you have control over what you share, you want to share more. When you share more, the world becomes more open and connected. Today, I want to share some thoughts on how we’ve evolved to this point, what we’re doing now to give you more control, and what you can expect from us going forward.
- Why Facebook’s privacy war is not over by Pete Cashmore, CNN
- With the announcement of “simpler” privacy settings this week, Facebook must surely hope that its torturous privacy debacle is drawing to a close. It’s not. Although Facebook’s updates may defuse this latest privacy bomb, this is merely a temporary cease-fire: The company’s long-term goals will inevitably see it sparring with privacy advocates again in the not-too-distant future.
- Latest Facebook fix : CTV News Channel: Carmi Levy, technology expert
- The new plan for Facebook’s privacy settings could be the last chance for the social networking site to hold on to many of its users who are fed up with the company’s attitude towards personal information.
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University of Winnipeg Division of Continuing Education Blog 