Facebook and Privacy

Before I get into today’s post, I do want to wish you a happy Memorial Day holiday. Jen and I are really enjoying our three day weekend, and I hope you are as well. Also, thanks to all the veterans, and those who are no longer with us, for serving our country.

I feel confident in saying that by this time you have heard about the uproar over the changes in Facebook’s privacy settings. Many people strenuously objected to these changes, and many threatened to leave Facebook. However, some mass exodus did not happen, and Facebook responded (in a way) to the complaints of its users. Still, the erosion or privacy rights on the internet is a topic getting a great deal of attention in libraryland, and so I thought I might share a few things here.

First, as an information professional, privacy and anonymity on the internet are incredibly important to ensuring net neutrality as well as allowing the internet to be the “sandbox” of ideas that it is today. Privacy on the internet also plays a part in “future-proofing” the internet, as the FCC wants to do (if the courts will allow it). So, before we go further, maintaining the privacy of internet users from anyone is incredibly important.

However, there are a few strong objections I have to people complaining about privacy concerns, specifically on Facebook, and more broadly on social networking sites. Facebook, by its very nature, is designed to share personal information with others. I would presume, perhaps erroneously, that people understand this when they sign up. Why, then, should you put all of your personal information on the site? Why share more than you are comfortable with sharing and being in the public eye? To be fair, maybe I am making something out of nothing, but it seems apparent to me that people should think about what is shared online before they put that personal information out there in the first place.

In addition, something that people of my age and younger need to understand is self-editing. Maybe you went out and had a wild night on the town last night - and maybe Aunt Edna and your boss should not know about that. Also, complaining about your workplace, or sharing confidential information, should never be done on Facebook, or in a public forum for that matter. Once it’s on the internet, you really have no control over what happens to what you post.

One of the overall ideas librarians are trying to foster in the public is the concept of information literacy. For many librarians, this is simply helping patrons determining what is and is not “good” information on the internet, but to me it is a broader concept, helping people determine how to function in out information environment today - including best practices for social networking and such.

Anyhow, here’s a great link if you want to check your privacy settings on Facebook, as recommended by the ALA:

Facebook Privacy Scanner