Over the course of the last month, the repeated accusations and frustrations that social media networks are violating our privacy have been hard to ignore. Facebook undoubtedly leads the industry in consumer complaints, but in the latest scandal MySpace is part of the bundle. The Wallstreet Journal reported this morning that a few sites including these network giants have been dishing out user information to advertising companies like DoubleClick and RightMedia. The weirdest part about all of this is that the receiving companies claim that they never asked for the data. Why would Facebook (et. al.) volunteer confidential information about their users, a clear breech of the terms & conditions we all agree to before signing up? Not cool, Facebook.
But at the same time, we have to realize that by signing up for Facebook we are taking a risk. At the end of the day, we’re the ones who sign up for Social Media Networks, input our own information, and open our profiles to the invasive nature of the internet. Facebook may re-evaluate their terms & conditions, they may make new ’simpler privacy settings’, however in the end we still need to watch our backs. Sure, they should act in line with the contract, but it would be naive to assume that everyone always follows the rules. Laws get broken–that’s why we have a justice system.
We can blame social media networks all day for dishonesty, privacy violation, etc., but the only way to insure our privacy is to take matters into our own hands. Facebook’s legal issues might not be enough for you to delete your account, but at the very least we should all reconsider our account settings.
-Gabrielle
