Online privacy is a hot topic. With every Facebook change, launch of a new location-sharing service, and every Federal investigation of online privacy, data concerns get more and more attention. Rightfully so.
As individuals, we are putting more and more data “out there” about ourselves than ever before. Often times we are sharing or providing this information without realizing it, or understanding the implications.
There are varying philosophies surrounding online privacy security ranging from highly conservative to highly liberal. But more important than opinion, we think it’s valuable to look at the data and privacy issues from a frame of reference that acknowledges bias.
So stepping back from the conservative versus liberal debate, we give you the Ant’s Eye Point-of-View of Online Privacy from the major players perspective.
Facebook (re: Mark Zuckerburg) has publicly declared its stance on the issue of online privacy. To “Zuck”, the age of privacy is over.
With the addition of Timeline they may have taken it a step further. It can all be quite confusing for the users to understand the privacy settings
In it’s most recent attempt to protect user privacy Google has announced it will now be encrypting all sessions for signed-in users.
Sounds simple, but many in the online marketing world take objection.
Amazon
Recently Amazon announced a new line of Kindle’s along with a new device called “Fire” and a browser/operating system called Silk. Shortly thereafter a member of Congress with some concerns contacted them requesting a response on several issues. The issues surrounded their handling of personal information and user data. They have since responded alleviating/addressing the privacy issues.
4Chan
While many Internet users may not be familiar with 4Chan, they are aware of it’s effects. The image board website is responsible for many things including some of the webs most popular meme’s. The founder Chris Poole (aka ‘moot’) has been a strong advocate of online privacy and anonymity. He, and the fellow anonymous users of 4Chan will undoubtedly continue to be a major voice in this conversation.
You
You. Me. We. Cumulatively we are THE biggest “player” online.
At the end of the day, it is up to each of us to define our own levels of tolerance with privacy and security. You dictate how much information is being shared about your life so it’s important to understand as much as possible.
A nice walk-through of the new Facebook settings can be found here.
Google’s privacy policy is rather lengthy, but a good read if you’re concerned and definitely explore through the links. For a more concise list of what you are sharing with Google check out dashboard. The Better Business Bureau offers up a list of tips for helping to secure your online activity. And finally, Google offers up a ton of helpful information on staying safe online and managing your data that we highly recommend checking out.
Knowledge is power.