By Ava Dinges
On a scale of one to ten, I would give myself an ‘eight’ on Facebook privacy savvy ness. I have never listed my phone number or street address on my profile, my profile is only open to my friends, and I never accept friends that I don’t know. Sometimes, I even go as far as to delete people that I’d no longer like to have access to my profile (no offense or anything).
Despite all my precautions, and the false sense of security I get when I un-friend people on Facebook, realistically, I’m probably not anywhere near an eight on the safety scale. Nor are most people who use Facebook. That’s because there are still ways for random people to obtain your information, no matter how many privacy measures you use.
In 2007, Facebook introduced its newest platform based on the use of “applications”, a move that helped make it the sixth most trafficked site in the U.S. Most applications are third-party created, with the purpose being to generate content that is of interest to users while promoting companies and internet developers. From “bumper stickers” to “sports brackets” to “babe-o-meters”, I’m sure there’s an application for everyone. According to a keynote speech by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the most important aspect of the applications is that “they use all the real connections that people have in order to help people share information more effectively”.
Sounds great! Sign me up! But there’s only one teeny, tiny catch...
You see, each time you add an application, a terms of use agreement appears. It makes my stomach turn each time I see it, and it’s the reason why I avoided the applications for so long in the first place. In order to use the free application, all you have to do is (ready for this???) give the creators of the application full access to ALL your profile information.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that nothing in life is free, but each time I add an application and read this agreement, I feel as if I’ve sold my soul. Apparently, I’ve somehow managed to put a price on my online identity: it’s worth a “would you rather”, a “cocktail hour” and a “pieces of flair” application. The applications are just so enticing...their siren songs captivate event the most privacy-savvy people like me.
But on its application FAQ website , Facebook insists that it does not sell your information to the applications. It merely lets third party applications access your information “to allow you to connect with your friends in new and interesting ways”. And each third party application is “contractually obligated to respect the privacy settings you’ve chosen for your account”.
Facebook says it will reprimand applications that do not comply with this, but will only do so if you make a complaint. Who’s to say there’s any way to even know if an application is abusing your information? And if they are, chances are that by the time you find out, it’ll probably be too late.
Now I hate to sound like an application nay-sayer, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reliving my childhood through fording the river on the “oregon trail” application. And my little sister and I have been able to keep in touch by sharing inside jokes through the bumper sticker application. My main point is that no matter how hard I try to control the access to my information, it seems as though there are always ways for random people to obtain it. The key is limiting the amount of information you publish online in the first place, even if it’s only intended for your friends. If you wouldn’t be comfortable sharing it with a stranger, than you probably shouldn’t share it online.
Add some class to your facebook profile with these bumper stickers. Courtesy of: Facebook.com