If you follow Digg (like we do here at JW) to keep an eye on what the Internet is abuzz about, you probably noticed that Facebook was part of a very popular Digg story yesterday. And not for the “800 zillion active users” reason you normally see. It was Dugg 5,960 times over the last two days because of privacy. According to an article first published on The Consumerist:
Facebook’s terms of service (TOS) used to say that when you closed an account on their network, any rights they claimed to the original content you uploaded would expire. Not anymore. Now, anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later. Want to close your account? Good for you, but Facebook still has the right to do whatever it wants with your old content. They can even sublicense it if they want.
Now granted, the quote above is the Consumerist’s interpretation of the TOS. And the Consumerist is a blog that advocates for the consumer (hence its concerns over privacy). So here’s the other side, as published yesterday by Mark Zuckerberg on his blog:
In reality, we wouldn’t share your information in a way you wouldn’t want. The trust you place in us as a safe place to share information is the most important part of what makes Facebook work…our philosophy that people own their information and control who they share it with has remained constant. A lot of the language in our terms is overly formal and protective of the rights we need to provide this service to you. Over time we will continue to clarify our positions and make the terms simpler.
Regardless of who you believe, the fact is that social media has forever changed how people view privacy. Facebook is not the first company to be put in the spotlight around online privacy and they won’t be the last. It’s a delicate balance when we’re talking about sites designed for sharing personal information. Don’t forget that most of the sites are free. They have to find a way to monetize, and one way to do that is to sell your data.
So what can or should you do? The answer to that is not a simple one. It really depends on how much information you are comfortable sharing online. Remember that you don’t HAVE to share any. You are in control. However, if you want to participate in social networking, you have to share some. The best thing you can do is use common sense.
- Don’t forget that information you post online stays there forever. Just knowing this should help you think twice before you post.
- In addition to not sharing obvious information, such as your Social Security number and credit card numbers, be particularly careful about sharing personal information such as your birthday, birth place and your home address (Facebook asks you for all of these).
- Remember that social networking should not be a popularity contest. Make sure you know someone before you “friend” them or let them into your network.
When writing this post, I couldn’t help but think about Hall & Oates’ song “Private Eyes.” You know, the one that reminds you over and over that “They are watching you”? I’m sure to take some flack from the younger folks here at JW for being a bit alarmist. The truth is, I’m a strong believer in the power of social media. But I do believe you can participate in it and be smart about your privacy at the same time. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Update (2/18/09): Facebook has reversed to its previous Terms of Service. You can read more about it here (via Mashable).