Internet has become a polemic tool due to privacy issues. Facebook, being part of that world and belonging to even more polemic social groups has its own problems in this term. Here there are some tips and pieces of information you should bear in mind when using it.
Each community page has its own privacy policy, and we have to read it carefully before joining it in order to know what rights are we preserving on the given information. So you know, before logging in for the first time, read Facebook’s Privacy Policy. You should also take a look to some web pages on this, as this an issue worries a lot of people and you can learn from others.
Apart from knowing what is going to happen with all your information, you have to manage it yourself. In words of Rafe Needleman these Privacy Settings don’t seem to be designed for the users of the service. I get the impression it’s set up to get users to give Facebook more permission than they should, to put their private data in the public sphere. So just because it seems complicated don’t leave it aside, as many problems may come later.
In even more personal terms, we also have more precise settings, not directly related to privacy settings, but some that do affect. We can learn a lot on this by reading Nick O’Neill‘s article. He does a thorough overview on how to protect your privacy on Facebook […] step by step [the] process for protecting your privacy. Do not forget that every change we make on our page and in others affects to our privacy in a higher level.
Here what expert Marshall Kirkpatrick said on the topic:
Perhaps Facebook’s pushing our culture away from privacy will end up being a good thing. The way the company is going about it makes me very uncomfortable, though, and some of the changes are clearly bad. It is clearly bad to no longer allow people to keep the pages they subscribe to private on Facebook.
This major reversal, backed-up by superficial explanations, makes me wonder if Facebook’s changing philosophies about privacy are just convenient stories to tell while the company shifts its strategy to exert control over the future of the web.
Once we know what Facebook does and what can you do to keep your information private, its your choice what to do. But bear in mind this. Your information does mind, and even if you think it does not matter to others, be careful!
REFERENCES:
- O’Neill, Nick. (2 February 2009) 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know Consulted on: 25 June 2011 http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-privacy-2009-02
- Needleman, Rafe. (10 Decembre 2009) How to fix Facebook’s new privacy settings Consulted on: 25 June 2011 http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-10413317-250.html
- Moreno, Manuel (15 May 2010) Convocan el “Día para abandonar Facebook” el próximo 31 de mayo Consulted on: 25 June 2011 http://www.trecebits.com/2010/05/15/convocan-el-dia-para-abandonar-facebook-el-proximo-31-de-mayo/
- Kirkpatrick, Marshall (9 January 2010) Facebook’s Zuckerberg Says The Age of Privacy is Over Consulted on: 25 June 2011 http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebooks_zuckerberg_says_the_age_of_privacy_is_ov.php
Filed under: Social networks 
