In Facebook's early days, user data was only visible to other users that you approved friend requests from. As of mid-December, Facebook informed its users that data including name, profile picture, gender, current city, networks, friend lists and pages of which they are a fan, would be made public on an opt-out basis (Meyer D.2010)
According to Wortham J. (2009), 45 percent of employers are using social networks to check out applicants. The study found that 35 percent of employers decided not to offer a job to a candidate based on the content uncovered on a social networking site. The net is also making it much harder for companies to keep secrets. If one of your products has flaws, then the chances are that the news will spread quickly in the web (Naughton J. 2006)
Does user care about privacy online?
Pew center found that most people said they cared greatly about online privacy but they didn’t do much about it. Pew's study also found that young adults aged 18 to 29 are more likely to monitor their online reputations by changing settings and deleting items on social networks (Cameron C., 2010). Furthermore, 95 percent of users said they were opposed to Facebook's recent privacy changes that would provide third-party sites access to user data without prior permission (Victoria Ho, 2010). Facebook’s mini-feed made users feel vulnerable as social networking sites foster discussion of social activities, the sites create real dangers that the details of an individual’s private life will reach an unintended audience (Benjamin R. Sachs ,2009)
Personal experience and Law of Privacy
Currently, I also owned a Facebook account. Facebook disclose my personal profile information to other users able to know my current activity online such as status update, post photo or Web link. , which is generally viewable to “friends” on Facebook as I didn’t opt out the mini-feed feature, it could be danger for me. According to David Meyer(2010), European data protection advisers have said it was 'unacceptable' for Facebook to make some of its users' data public without their permission at the end of last year. It would be a breach of data protection law if they use personal data of other individuals contained in a user profile for commercial purposes.
The Facebook should aware of the Privacy law which is the area of law concerning the protecting and preserving of privacy rights of individuals (Suppiah Rachel, 2010). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 12, states:
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Facebook and other social networking sites should obey to Human Rights declaration and subject to the law of privacy and should diminish user’s privacy and keep it in balance between publicity and privacy.
Reference List:
1. Benjamin R. Sachs (2009), “ Consumerism and information privacy: How upton Sinclair can again save us from ourselves”, 18 February 2009, viewed 9 June 2010
http://www.virginialawreview.org/content/pdfs/95/205.pdf
2. Cameron C. (2010), “Pew: 71% of young adults change online privacy settings”, 26 May 2010, viewed 9 June 2010 http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/pew_71_of_young_adults_change_online_privacy_settings.php
3. Facebook.com (2010), viewed 9 June 2010, http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
4. Kirkpatrick M.(2010), “ Why Facebook is wrong: Privacy is still important”, 11 January 2010, viewed 9 June 2010 http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/why_facebook_is_wrong_about_privacy.php
5. Meyer D. (2010), “Facebook privacy tweaks are unacceptable, says EU”, 13 May 2010, viewed 9 June 2010
6. Suppiah Rachel (2010), “ Awakening to a new dawn- the Personal Data Protection Act 2009”, 19 April 2010, viewed 9 June 2010
7. Victoria Ho (2010), “ Most users unhappy with Facebook privacy”, 8 April 2010, viewed 9 June 2010 http://www.zdnetasia.com/most-users-unhappy-with-facebook-privacy-62062515.htm
8. Wortham J. (2009), “More Employers use social networks to check out applicants”, viewed 9 June 2010 http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/more-employers-use-social-networks-to-check-out-applicants/?em
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