Steve Allen Marc Greco Michael Dennis

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 We will be focusing on 5 different social networks  eHarmony  Facebook  Friendster  Match.com  Myspace

 User’s create their own personalized web pages.  They post images and information about themselves to share with other users.  These profiles can be used to meet new people or stay acquainted with old friends.

 User’s must agree to that particular site’s privacy policies in order to join the social network. Ex: Friendster – User’s must be 16 years of age. Facebook – Users use to have to belong to a college, now membership is open to everyone. Myspace – If user is under 16, profile is automatically private. All user’s (age 18+) must agree to the policy that their information can be handed out to third parties in “reasonable” circumstances.

 Social Networks are growing at a rate of 20% per year.  Facebook has reached out to 573 campuses and 2.4 million users. This attracts over 80% of college undergraduates (as of 2004).  74% of adults who use social networking sites have given out personal information such as their address, birth date, or social security number.  One study shows that 90.8% of profiles contain an image, 87.8% contain birthdates, and 50.8% disclose a person’s current address

 “We collect information that can identify you, such as your name and address. When you provide it to us when using our website we may combine the personal information we receive from different sources.”

 They are not only collecting the information you directly provide to them, but they are also collecting information about you from other sources.  Match.com may also share this information to fulfill orders, provide customer service and marketing assistance, and supporting their website functionality.  “We may also share your name, contact information, and credit card information with our authorized service providers who process credit card payments.”

 According to Match.com there are over sixty IAC businesses they are associated with. These include Ask.com, College Humor, and Lending Tree.  Your information is being shared with multiple sources and the user has to opt-out in order to stop this flow of information from being shared. Unfortunately many people don’t know they have the option to do so.

 “Information is held strictly confidential and can be deleted at the user’s request.”  “Information collected during the intake questionnaire which may be shared with other users of eHarmony will be displayed in a strictly anonymous manner.”

 “You understand and acknowledge that, even after removal, copies of User Content may remain viewable in cached and archived pages.”  “We may use information about you that we collect from other sources to supplement your profile.”

 Facebook collects information such as a user’s browser type and IP address.  This information is stored for a “reasonable period of time” even after it has been deleted from a user’s profile.  This allows Facebook to retain information for as long as they want since “reasonable” is not defined.

 It is easy for people to guess one’s social security number with information gathered through social networks.  First 3 digits can be guessed by a user’s location.  Next 2 digits are assigned in a particular order.  The last 4 digits can be guessed through social engineering.

 Never post information or pictures you do not want a future employer, family member, or authority figures to view.  Read through the privacy policies and find out if you can “opt-out” of having your information shared with third parties.  Don’t accept friend requests from random people. They could be a stalker or someone looking for incriminating information about you.  Depending on the website, set your privacy settings so that only people you are friend’s with can view your profile.