I was checking out the Read/Write Web feed just now and discovered some helpful news about how back in December, Facebook had made some disconcerting changes related to users' privacy settings. Apparently they switched the default settings on several items (like photos, videos, status updates, and more) from private to public. They also made it so that when people try to search for you, they can view ALL of your profile pictures (not just the one on your current page). I guess you can't even alter this in the settings anymore, so if you don't want people you are not friends with to see all of your profile pictures, you would just need to delete them.
I am glad that I came across this article because it caused me to immediately sign into my own facecbook account and change some settings back to private. In Facebook's defense, I do recall some type of warning message that appeared when I signed in not too long ago (it must have been in December), saying that they were making changes to people's privacy settings. One thing I didn't realize though, until examining this carefully tonight, was that it had taken my several albums which before only "friends of friends" could view, and made it so that "everyone" could access these. Creepy!
According to the article, Facebook argues that in general, society's thoughts about privacy are changing and people are becoming increasingly willing to share more personal information. (They even use the growing popularity of blogging as evidence for this). They believe that in making these privacy changes, they are just appropriately adjusting to this new shift in thought. I think if people are wanting to make things less private, fine, they should have that option, but their right to keep things as private if they wish (like profile pictures) should not be denied.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebook_privacy_explanation_debate.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Marie - I too was a "victim" of this Facebook update. I just realized it this past week. I had my settings set - to basically non-existent. I could only be friends to people I invited and other than that I couldn't be found at all! Then, all of a sudden - I started getting all sorts of friend requests.
ReplyDeleteIt creates a weird social networking uncomfortablness for me. Such as what if you get a friend request from someone that you weren't really friends with or from a person that kind of a bully to you?
I was very unhappy with the new changes. I have it set so only my friends can post and see things, but what about other people having access to pictures and posting them at will?
Thanks for the article!