Social media: who doesn't use it? Social media is used daily all over the world. But what about privacy? How much can someone find out about you through social media?
Social media and privacy: the relationship between these two points has long been a subject of discussion, and it continues to be so. For instance, D66 MP Kees Verhoeven is launching an awareness campaign about social media this week. He states that the privacy of citizens on social media is in a poor state. Verhoeven: “Last week, Google significantly adjusted its privacy policy. It turns out that Twitter stores users' private data for far too long and sells it on. We cannot pretend now that nothing is wrong.”
Do's and don'ts
You could say that the user is personally responsible for what he or she posts on social media. This is indeed partially true. However, social media platforms also have a duty to be as clear as possible: which data is visible to everyone? And especially: where can I change this? This is often unclear across various social media platforms.
Google Privacy
Google's new privacy policy has been updated, which is of course not a problem. However, it has been explained so unclearly that a user cannot easily understand what the policy means for them. What are the consequences of this for the user? There are many different opinions regarding Google's new privacy policy.
As Amberhawk indicated in a blog article:
“Everyone uses Google because the services are free and very convenient. Just because they are 'free' does not mean that Google can take user privacy for granted or profit from it to the fullest. The privacy policy is inconsistent, unclear, and likely leads to violations of privacy laws. As far as I am concerned, the privacy policy needs to be revised,” concludes. AmberhawkThis is one of many opinions.
Facebook Privacy
Privacy and Facebook: do they go together? There are many opinions on this matter, showing that Facebook fares poorly regarding privacy. For instance, some users do not want their boss as a friend on Facebook. It is therefore very important that you maintain control over your own profile and data. Facebook prefers to give you as little control as possible, because your privacy is at odds with their business model: reselling your information to advertisers. Facebook constantly changes its privacy policy so that the company can resell more data, while at the same time making it completely unclear to users which information is private and which is publicly accessible.
Twitter Privacy
Twitter is much less extensive in terms of privacy settings. You can decide for yourself whether you want everyone to be able to read your tweets or only your followers. Additionally, you can set it so that not just anyone can follow you, but that you must approve this yourself first. However, there is one point you should pay attention to, namely your 'Tweet Location'. Especially for smartphone users. It is wise to disable this option due to the risk of burglars.
LinkedIn Privacy
LinkedIn: a very useful social media platform for building a network. However, there are a few hidden pitfalls. There is a clear overview of the 'Settings', but not all options are known. Many users have all their activities visible to everyone. Is this beneficial, or does it work to your disadvantage? Naturally, every user decides this for themselves, and everyone has a different opinion on the matter. My tip is to take a good look at it. Check the LinkedIn 'Settings' to see what the options are for making data visible or hiding it.
Ready to see how Snowflake works?
How do you feel your privacy is being handled? Are you satisfied with this, or do you still encounter points you are not satisfied with?