Taking Responsibility for Online Privacy

As the Leveson inquiry rolls on, privacy is once again on the agenda. But it’s not just celebs who need to be cautious – all web users have cause for concern over the handling of their data online.

Over the years, we grew accustomed to celebrities being hounded by the press and barely batted an eyelid when the first high profile cases of phone hacking came to light. After all, it goes with the territory, right? How could they complain when they are being paid millions of pounds for such a glamorous career that relies heavily on media exposure anyway?

However, many of us became enraged as the reported invasions of privacy took a more sinister turn, such as the alleged interference by the press in the case of Millie Dowler. A cynical intrusion into the life of a grieving family for nothing more than a tabloid scoop.

RIP privacy

As this issue of privacy has hit closer to home, the nation is up in arms against what many view as an invasion of our basic human rights. But it’s not just those Fleet Street hacks and Paparazzi that have incensed us. We’re equally concerned at the way our privacy is treated online.

But wait – who exactly is it who is compromising our privacy? Quite often, we may have no one but ourselves to blame.

Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has famously declared privacy to be “dead” in the age of social networking. Since its introduction, it appears as though our own values regarding privacy have become far more lax. We willingly publish private information about ourselves online but perhaps many of us do this somewhat ignorantly, unaware of the extent to which our information is made public for all to see.

Many of us have been struck at some point by the harsh reality of just how public our private details are – whether we’ve been tagged in a rather unflattering Facebook photo or when we’ve narcissistically Googled ourselves and been horrified by just how much information exists on us out there is in the public domain. And yet we continue to share all in our status updates, photos and tweets. Rather than being so quick to point the finger, perhaps we ought to take more responsibility for our own online profile.

Facebook has its knuckles wrapped

Last month, the Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with Facebook regarding its privacy policies after a reported eight accounts of violation of privacy laws by web privacy groups brought the case to court.

“Our concern,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, “was with the change in the default settings – that’s the part that was clearly unfair.”

The settlement will mean that Facebook will require users to opt in to new privacy setting changes, rather than opt out. Over the past couple of years the site has made a number of changes on an opt-out basis, often with little or no notice. So whilst we may think we have made information available only to our family members and trusted friends, in reality Facebook has made it available to advertisers too.

The site will also be subject to biannual audits by an independent third-party professional for the next twenty years, which will ensure it complies with the Freedom of Information Act, and will be fined $16,000 per infringement per day for contravening its promises.

But those who lodged the complaint have been left a little disappointed. Rotenberg’s group, for one, was hoping the FTC would demand privacy settings be rolled back to their 2009 status.

The impact of the settlement

So what differences can users expect to see? Very few, say many. “It doesn’t create any new or unusual obligation,” says Jules Polonetsky, director of the Future of Privacy Forum

Facebook will come out of this relatively unscathed. In fact, if anything, it may serve to simply enhance the site’s reputation, giving them the clout to be able to say “we’ll look after your privacy – we’re government-audited!” Nevertheless, most agree it is a firm step in the right direction.

“[This settlement] sends a strong message to companies that they must live up to the privacy promises made to consumers” said Ioana Rusu, regulatory counsel for Consumers Union.

Zuckerberg magnanimously admits the company has made its share of errors: “I’m the first to admit that we’ve made a bunch of mistakes,” he says. “We’re making a clear and formal long-term commitment to do the things we’ve always tried to do and planned to keep doing – giving you tools to control who can see your information and then making sure only those people you intend can see it. I’m committed to making Facebook the leader in transparency and control around privacy.”

So, as groups continue to campaign for the protection of our privacy, perhaps we also need to start valuing and protecting it more ourselves. In fairness, Zuckerberg makes a valid point when he says that Facebook gives us the tools to control how our information is displayed – the settings are there to be used. But how many of us take the time to fully explore them?

You could argue that our online privacy – certainly where Facebook is concerned – lies in our own hands.

For most of our business customers who use Facebook as a marketing tool these personal privacy issues are largely irrelevant (or even a pain as they place a limit on the tool’s usefulness).