After successfully clearing Homeland Security at YYC this morning, enroute to Dallas for a couple of days with the Heartland Tech Group (HTG) peer group meetings, I noticed a headline in this morning’s Globe and Mail.
Facebook users risk blackmail, privacy czar warns
It looks like Jennifer Stoddart is one the warpath with Facebook once again (Read the Globe and Mail article). I am confused by her stand against Facebook and the privacy of Facebook users data. Facebook, like many other social networking sites are not forcing people to sign up for accounts or even volunteer information. Facebook membership in Canada is not mandatory, you have a choice not to sign up. Besides your name, email address, birthdate (which is used to verify those 13 and over) and gender information, I can’t think of any other information that I don’t have an option to share, not to share and even hide from those I don’t want to share it with.
I am confused with Canada’s Privacy Commissioner on why she would be overly concerned. Facebook is not a bank where personal information is required to confirm your identity and where your money is managed. I believe there is more risk in all the non-protected computers running without anti-virus software and even those who fail to patch their Windows computers each month than risks with Facebook. There is more risk to security from people who still send credit card numbers via email.
I am not saying you don’t need to be vigilant, you always need to be on guard with everything you do online (even on Facebook). Hackers, virus writers and script kiddies are turning to Facebook, Twitter and other online social media sites as vehicles to spread their worms and other malicious code to unexpected users. Just like email, always practice caution, even on Facebook.
Application programmers which link their third-party apps to link into Facebook are now (according to the Globe and Mail article story) able to store your data forever instead the 24 hour period once enforced. What data, your bank accounts, letters to mom, your MP3 collection…what data are they talking about – the pictures you put on Facebook. I am sure that there is some acknowledgement in the terms and conditions prior to installing or participating in these activities. Who is at fault if you fail to understand the T & C’s. I don’t think it is Facebook’s issue.
Here is a simple tip for Facebook users who don’t want their photos and other information shared, don’t put them online. Sounds simple.
Haven’t we been through this before?
Once again, Facebook is not a substitute for picking up the phone or other forms on social interaction. You don’t have to sign up. Facebook membership is not mandatory in Canada.
Here are some of the terms and conditions, relating to privacy on Facebook – notice the remove or do not add warnings throughout the text below. Read more about Facebook privacy.
This section explains how your privacy settings work, and how your information is shared on Facebook. You should always consider your privacy settings before sharing information on Facebook.
Name and Profile Picture. Facebook is designed to make it easy for you to find and connect with others. For this reason, your name and profile picture do not have privacy settings. If you are uncomfortable with sharing your profile picture, you should delete it (or not add one). You can also control who can find you when searching on Facebook or on public search engines using your search settings.
Contact Information. Your contact information settings control who can contact you on Facebook, and who can see your contact information such as your email and phone number(s). Remember that none of this information is required except for your email address, and you do not have to share your email address with anyone.
Personal Information. Your personal information settings control who can see your personal information, such as your religious and political views, if you choose to add them. We recommend that you share this information using the friends of friends setting.
Posts by Me. You can select a privacy setting for every post you make using the publisher on our site. Whether you are uploading a photo or posting a status update, you can control exactly who can see it at the time you create it. Whenever you share something look for the lock icon. Clicking on the lock will bring up a menu that lets you choose who will be able to see your post. If you decide not to select your setting at the time you post the content, your content will be shared consistent with your Posts by Me privacy setting.
Connections. Facebook enables you to connect with virtually anyone or anything you want, from your friends and family to the city you live in to the restaurants you like to visit to the bands and movies you love. Because it takes two to connect, your privacy settings only control who can see the connection on your profile page. If you are uncomfortable with the connection being publicly available, you should consider removing (or not making) the connection.
Gender and Birth Date. In addition to name and email address, we require you to provide your gender and birth date during the registration process. We ask for your date of birth to verify that you are 13 or older, and so that we can better limit your access to content and advertisements that are not age appropriate. Because your date of birth and gender are required, you cannot delete them. You can, however, edit your profile to hide all (or part) of such fields from other users.
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