Better The Devil You Know

It’s uncommon these days to find a person who doesn’t use some kind of social media to stay in touch with friends or family and keep up with the news or their favourite brands. While there are good reasons for using it, many users are unaware of the privacy and security risks that go along with it. It might be boring, but it’s important to have a reasonable idea of what happens to our personal data.

I’m guilty of not reading End User Licence Agreements (EULA) or clicking ‘Agree’ without really looking at the Privacy Policy for apps or websites before using them. They’re boring, often hard to understand, and some are so long. Statistics confirm that I’m not the only one. If there’s anyone who reads all of them I’d take a stab and say they’re probably great fun at parties, or maybe not. I think we all know that when we sign up for a service that our information is going to be used to for something other than simply logging in. But do we really know what that might be? Or what the consequences of that use are?

It seems that most users of Facebook, for example, aren’t really concerned about where their data goes or what it will be used for. A 2010 study discussed by Anja Bechmann tells us that most users are more concerned about ‘social privacy’ rather than ‘institutional privacy’. Basically, people don’t care if Facebook and their stakeholders see what they’re doing, but please don’t let Aunt Bertha know that you fell asleep in the garden after that party last weekend. We generally consider that any risks that come with the sharing of our data are offset by the convenience that an app might give us, or the social inclusion if our friends are using it, or maybe if we Like that page we enter a competition. That being said, we should probably still have some idea about what we’re signing up for.

Often we’ll learn of an app via friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. They might use it and love it so want you to benefit as well. Or maybe it will make keeping touch with distant friends easier. There are numerous reasons, but the gist is, that we are more accepting of any risks that might come with using an app if a recommendation comes from someone we trust. And if your cousin is using it without any drama then it’s got to be OK and there’s no reason to waste time reading the Privacy Policy, right? Not so much.

For example, did you know that Facebook monitors your devices, usage, the websites you visit, the things you buy…. and so on… whether you are logged into Facebook or not? Sometimes even if you don’t have a Facebook account but you view a public page or post on the site. Facebook collects metadata from photos you post including location (even if location services is turned off), and more if you take those photos using the camera facility within the platform. It can also access other information from the device you use to view Facebook including phone logs, hashtags, texts, and contacts.

If you make a financial transaction like an in-game purchase or a donation it gets a bit more worrisome. Collected data can include:

“…payment information, such as your credit or debit card number and other card information, other account and authentication information, and billing, delivery and contact details.”

Eeek!

Most users expect that Facebook tracks things like the Pages you like and interact with and your Friends list. Have you ever wondered how you can search Google for a new sofa then suddenly get all the furniture ads on Facebook? That’s right, Facebook accesses all of that data to share with their advertisers in order to target advertising to your interests. Of course, you can opt out of targeted advertising. It’s in Facebook Settings and is easy to do, but it won’t remove them completely. You’ll still get ads, they’re just unlikely to be for products that interest you. It can be fun though to see the random items that can pop up!

Naturally, there are ways to use social media while keeping some control of your data but it’s extremely limiting. For instance, you could remove any location data that apps can access by simply not using any service that needs to know your location. Just don’t geotag your photos, right? Ah no. Also don’t use Google Maps, GPS, or Uber. Don’t check the weather, road conditions, or search for a restaurant in your neighbourhood. Don’t make an appointment for anything using an online booking system, and definitely don’t check-in anywhere. And forget about using Find My iPhone! Sounds like fun huh?

You might think that sharing your posts with Friends Only means your data is private, but I think you can see how untrue that is. To paraphrase an old adage ‘if the product is free, you are the product’. While we don’t pay for the use of Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites, we earn our keep by supplying a constant stream of valuable data. Unlike many other privacy or data policies, Facebook’s is actually quite easy to read and understand. I recommend taking a look just so you have some idea about what you’re really sharing. Keep in mind that most social networking sites and other apps have similar policies. It seems pretty unfair, but there is always a choice. Be informed, but don’t overthink it. And remember, if all your friends are doing it, how bad can it be?


This post forms part of a university assignment. See comments for references and further reading.