The following screenshots have been taken from my own personal feed from people I am Facebook friends with. I have blacked out their photos and names in order to protect their identities. This section will provide analyses on the privacy practices depicted in the screenshots, using research on studies and suggestions from Internet privacy experts.
One thing many privacy experts continually suggest not putting on one's Facebook page is current travel plans. Despite the fact that many Facebook users tend to want to broadcast their exciting trips to their friends, this practice is discouraged because of less-than-friendly individuals who might be viewing their page (with or without their knowledge). According to both experts and law enforcement officials, the practice of finding out when someone is away from their home in order to "case" their house--that is, to know that they are away and that their house might be available to be robbed--is increasingly popular. CBS (as well as many other sites) ran a story saying that criminals are using Facebook to find information about homes that are asking to be robbed (Kristof). So, despite the fact that you might want to show your friends the cool place you are visiting for Spring Break, it is prudent to wait until after you have returned home--that way, your home is not vulnerable to those less than scrupulous characters who might be mining your page for information regarding your whereabouts. As we can see in the two screenshots above, these two users are letting the world know they will be out of their states for an extended period of time, which might signal that their homes are vulnerable.
Another thing that privacy experts and scholars suggest refraining from posting on Facebook is one's phone number. This is not suggested because there are tools available on the Internet that facilitate narrowing down one's location via their phone number. This tool--called Google Reverse Phone look up--could allow individuals to find out your exact location, and as mentioned above, this information in the hands of the wrong person is potentially dangerous.
Furthermore, experts suggest that putting your full name, birthday, and birthplace is a potential danger to your privacy. According to a study done by Carnegie Mellon, this information can be used to predict some or all of the digits of an individual's Social Security number, which of course everyone is trying to avoid. In the screenshot above, this individual has posted his phone number, full birthday, and living place, a sign that he may be vulnerable (O'Donnell).
Furthermore, experts suggest that putting your full name, birthday, and birthplace is a potential danger to your privacy. According to a study done by Carnegie Mellon, this information can be used to predict some or all of the digits of an individual's Social Security number, which of course everyone is trying to avoid. In the screenshot above, this individual has posted his phone number, full birthday, and living place, a sign that he may be vulnerable (O'Donnell).
We are constantly told by experts, scholars, parents, and peers that our social media posts might affect employability due to the fact that employers are increasingly surveying potential employees' profiles. It is suggested that users post with the belief that employers can access anything--regardless of privacy settings--just to be safe. I have found that this user often posts things of this nature--I am unsure what a potential employer would think about this...
The above two screenshots were pulled straight from my newsfeed. They consist of corporate companies that some of my Facebook friends have "liked." This is prevalent to the discussion of privacy because it is a well-documented fact that companies tend to create pages that users can like in order to enhance their brand image and advertise to potential customers. User data--including what individuals like and search for on Facebook--is being sold to these major corporations so that they can enhance their marketing strategies and increase their reachability (Sengupta). Though it might not seem like "liking" Sour Patch Kids on social media is a big deal, it is important to realize that every action one does (whether that means liking a page or searching for something) is being collected and distributed to companies looking to make a profit. Based on our class discussion regarding the political economy of Facebook, most users (at least those who are college-aged) are comfortable with companies collecting their data when it is of this innocuous nature. We do not necessarily expect privacy when it comes to these types of issues; however, it is still something to be conscious of.
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Sources:
Kristof, Kathy. "6 Things You Should Never Share on Facebook." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
O'Donnell, Andy. "10 Things You Should Never Post on Social Networks." Lifewire. Life Wire, 31 Oct. 2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Sengupta, Somini. "What You Didn’t Post, Facebook May Still Know." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Sources:
Kristof, Kathy. "6 Things You Should Never Share on Facebook." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
O'Donnell, Andy. "10 Things You Should Never Post on Social Networks." Lifewire. Life Wire, 31 Oct. 2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Sengupta, Somini. "What You Didn’t Post, Facebook May Still Know." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.