By now everyone has heard of the Facebook problem with privacy. The company has a track record of not protecting its users private data. When I set up an account for my Dad I actually had to navigate a few settings to completely privatize his account. It’s obvious that Facebook is trying its best to make every users’ post public so it can make money. But people are not that eager to accept this move.
For one thing, as David Bradley pointed out, Facebook led its users to believe their data are private – but later revealed they’re not. These privacy changes were rolled out quietly. Effectively catching people off guard.
Then there were rumors Mark Zuckerberg didn’t care about privacy. He is trying to compete with Twitter who mainly publish public updates. Come to think about it, having a completely private site is like running an email service – which is not Facebook’s original intent.
In my opinion, even with privacy problems, Facebook is still relevant. Where else are we going to get the same number of family, friends, and acquaintances in one place? Facebook has the tools to let us connect and share information. I don’t see it going away any time soon. And people will not abandon it that easily too.
What everyone needs to realize, the information shared on the internet, it’s pretty much public information. Ever since Google, content on the internet becomes more permanent. People must be careful with sharing sensitive information. That’s why I try my best to keep confidential information to myself – not sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or even this blog.
Now, Facebook does have an elaborate way to set one’s profile settings to private. If the intent is to use Facebook as a glorified email account, then fix them up accordingly. Otherwise, it’s wiser to just take these precautions:
- Regularly change login password.
- Don’t overshare information.
- Know your “friends”. Don’t accept invites from strangers.
- Don’t respond to anything you don’t know.
- Have an accountability partner(s) who regularly checks online activities, and send a warning when something looks odd.
Facebook even said they’re coming up with a “simpler” privacy option. Until that happens, stay safe while Facebooking!
Tags: internet, privacy, security, social media
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