By Shazia Mowlabaccus
New research from Nielsen/NetRatings shows that Facebook has overtaken MySpace in the UK in terms of unique visitors. Hardly surprising, as it seems as if nearly everyone I know or have ever known is a member, regardless of their location or age. Non-members are coming under increasing pressure to join as more and more people use the site to discuss and plan social events, nights out and generally socialise - the longer they leave it, the more they become socially excluded!
But as the world and their dog continues to join Facebook, it seems like a lot of people don’t realise the risks involved. While Facebook’s privacy settings can be easily tailored, this is not clearly conveyed on the site. As a result, users who do not change the default privacy settings on their profile can end up revealing large amounts of personal information, such as mobile numbers. And networks, like the London network which boasts 1.2 million members, allow others access to members' profiles if these settings remain unamended...
Facebook’s decision to allow limited user profiles to be available to search engines, prompted the head of privacy at Facebook to attempt to reassure the public and highlight the fact that 20% had changed their privacy settings. But this leaves 80% of members who have not taken any steps to secure their personal details. Not really that reassuring!
Users’ blasé attitudes to data security and identity theft in general have meant that this wealth of information is now being harvested in a number of dubious ways, and will no doubt continue to be used by fraudsters and con artists.
However, legitimate organisations are also now taking advantage of this laissez-faire online culture to vet prospective employees. And already, we’re hearing about how this can lead to companies jumping to unfair conclusions just because people join silly groups or post stupid or drunken photos/videos on their profiles.* But the result of someone’s weekend really shouldn’t impact on how they are seen by potential employers.
The wealth of information currently held by social networks and the massive growth of them raises concerns about their power and the erosion of privacy. Not everyone is IT savvy or aware of the risks, and so I believe that social networking sites should be taking more responsibility and doing more to secure their members' information.
*Obviously I have none of the sort!
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