Social Networking and YOU A presentation for the SDC Carey Larson Michael Moss

Social Networking, what’s the big deal? Privacy! "You are not Facebook's customer. You are the product that they sell to their real customers - advertisers. Forget this at your peril."

What’s at stake The Evolution of Facebook Privacy

But I can control my privacy settings! Not if you use applications (games, quizzes, etc) "I funded the company myself but I did every horrible thing in the book to, just to get revenues right away.” -Zynga CEO, Creator of Mafia Wars and Farmville Not if you have friends Good luck keeping up with the changes

Facebook Personal Data a Security Risk “Making more user information public has both privacy and security dangers, experts warn. Some experts also say that the increase in information disclosure could have a serious side-effect--opening up new opportunities for hackers. Kevin Johnson, a senior researcher with security firm InGuardians, uses Facebook as a starting point for his job: testing companies' network security. Many times, he says, the most significant vulnerabilities are not in hardware or software, but in a users' use of social networks.”

Facebook has changed! Or have they? Empty Gestures: A new look and feel, for the same old policy

I Quit! Report: Go ahead, quit Facebook, but they'll retain and data mine your info “…deleting is different from deactivating, and the deletion process isn't easy for everyone to figure out. Still, even if you do manage to truly delete your account once and for all, you'll never see that data again. But Facebook will. They still have that information and will continue to use it for data mining.”

It gets better! Big Brother is watching: Facebook's plugins are now used by more than 100,000 sites. This means affiliated sites can report your visit and help track you online.

What can you do? You can “quit” – But all my friends/family/colleagues are there! – This doesn’t remove all your info – It’s not an easy process Falsify your information – An online alias – Terms of use violation You can switch to another service – Sadly other social networks aren’t as ubiquitous – You may lose some contacts – Other services have to make money too

It’s not just Facebook MySpace Twitter Google LiveJournal Your web browser Etc Are we going off the grid?

Public disclosure and personal responsibility Sensible advice: “I don't want to counsel a generation that they should practice misrepresentation and deceit. I don't want to teach them not to post because they're afraid. And you can't get away from the disclosure anyways. But they should exercise some caution, and practice some discretion. You have to live like a celebrity, knowing there are cameras everywhere. Take some care in what you do, and what you say, and don't leave yourself exposed to the underworld that may be out there.” - Stephen DownesStephen Downes