The recent growth in popularity of online Social Networking Sites (SNSs) has led to an increased focus towards online privacy. Through drawing on information from relevant sources, this report explores some of the primary privacy risks in SNSs. After investigating the reasons for which users are willing to share personal information online, this report proposes that, through an increase in user awareness and education, these systems will be rendered safer for public use. By being able to provide a safe and controlled environment through which users can socially interact online, SNSs will meet both their ethical obligation to their users and their social obligation to the larger community.
Introduction to Privacy Risks on Social Networking Sites
With the global adoption of high speed internet increasingly on the rise, the last ten years have seen a growing trend of individuals moving away from more traditional forms of communication to online platforms to better manage and enhance their social relationships. Through the use of interactive Social Networking Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, users are actively encouraged to disseminate personal information online in order to build their social relationships. While many of these SNSs do currently have systems in place to protect users against privacy risks, they are inflexible and limited in their ability to safely handle user data. This report will explore some of the inherent privacy risks associated with the usage of SNSs, before investigating the factors influencing privacy disclosures and measures SNSs can implement to improve both the management and distribution of user information.
Factors affecting privacy disclosure on SNSs
The popularity of SNSs stems from the willingness of its users to share personal information. It is through the disclosure of this sensitive data that users are able to establish and build social relationships.
Perceived social benefits
By sharing personal information with others online, it can help build and develop social relationships. These interactions can be in the form of a work-related relationship (LinkedIn), music and politics (MySpace), micro-blogging and instant messaging (Twitter), or a combination of all of these (Facebook). Regardless of the SNS used, they permit individuals to interact with people they already know, or to establish new social connections (Ellison, Steinfield, Lampe, 2007). It’s socially beneficial to engage in these online activities, even if it means forfeiting various aspects of our own privacy.
Privacy sensitivity
When users share this information online, they are often unaware exactly how far-reaching their content may be seen and spread. Many users of SNSs are concerned with the unintended audiences who may be able to access their uploaded information (Young, Quan-Hasse, 2009). Negative press surrounding privacy breaches with SNSs also negatively impact on the perceived safety of these systems. However, the success of almost all SNSs derives from the willingness of users to contribute information; it is through these high levels of social interaction that SNSs, such as Facebook, are able to attract individuals and maintain them as frequent users. Because of that, introducing full privacy level systems (Ho, Maiga, Aimeur, 2009) could potentially interrupt the steady flow of information between users, and be counter-productive to goals of SNSs. It is therefore the responsibility of these SNSs to raise user awareness regarding these privacy concerns, and put in place systems and procedures that allow users to effectively manage their privacy.
