Did you see the latest proposed changes to the Facebook? They have a new feature called “Instant Personalization” that shares data with non-Facebook websites. My issue is that it is automatically set to “Allow.”
Or in other words, to protect my privacy and not have my content automatically shared with someone outside, I need to do something, I need to opt out. Not opt in to allow it.
My point is that I object to have to continually do something to protect myself from these changes at Facebook. Plus, I really don’t like the need to opt-OUT of having my information shared versus consciously deciding to opt IN and share it. If I want folks seeing my ‘stuff’ than *I* want to be the one choosing to do so, thank you.
While the privacy debate is not new to the Web, the explosive growth of social networking has intensified the issues. But Facebook’s actions deepen my concern that individual privacy will be all but eliminated in the next few years.
Facebook decided in December 2009 to substantially change its privacy settings, effectively making members’ profiles more openly accessible unless users altered the settings themselves. Facebook’s founder rationalized the actions, stating that social behavior was shifting as a result of the Internet and that privacy was not the same now as it was even six years ago. He states that people have become very comfortable sharing more and different kinds of information, but more openly and with more people. He’s suggesting that the social norm has changed and that Facebook is okay to go along with this “evolution.”
Well, here in the US we have a less than stellar corporate view on individual privacy. Other nations around the world do not share our liberal views of using people’s personal information without their consent. There’s worldwide debate. And action.
In 2009 and again this year, Canadian authorities challenged Facebook’s default privacy settings and its use of personal information for targeted advertising. Norway filed complaints after a year-long study of the site’s terms and conditions. The European Commission issued voluntary guidelines making profiles private and unsearchable by default. Authorities in Spain, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands are also on the watch.
I don’t like the trend that Facebook is on. Privacy is about keeping users in control (e.g. share, correct, edit, remove) of the information they choose to share, not site operators who change policies in a bid to monetize (sell) personal data. Or am I taking this too far? What might you think?
In any case, I do suggest that in order to protect some of your information on Facebook, that you go to Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites. Then under “Instant Personalization” uncheck “Allow”, and under “What Your Friends Can Share About You” uncheck ALL the boxes.
