Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management

    Facebook Privacy: Just How Much Do Users Want?

    Written by

    Brian Prince
    Published December 20, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      It hasn’t been the best 10 days for Facebook.

      After instituting changes meant to improve user privacy, Facebook has been hit with a Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging the social networking site did the exact opposite. According to a host of consumer and privacy groups, Facebook’s changes actually did more harm than good.

      But just how much privacy do users really want? To hear Facebook tell it, only a small number of its 350 million-plus users were actually taking advantage of the privacy settings that existed before the changes were implemented.

      “The mass of our users had never done anything at all,” said Tim Sparapani, director of public policy at Facebook, in an interview with eWEEK Dec. 10. “Hundreds of millions of people had never stopped and thought about the consequences of sharing information. So we thought that it was important enough, as people who care about user privacy, to walk them through that process.”

      Users are the X factor in any security strategy. In a report earlier this year, the Ponemon Institute said that roughly half of the 967 end users they surveyed reported their corporate data security policies are largely ignored by employees and management. The policy violations ran the gamut, from copying confidential information onto USB sticks to turning off desktop firewalls and antivirus.

      Cormac Herley, a principal researcher with Microsoft Research, argued here in a recent paper (PDF) that following security advice can sometimes be more trouble than it is worth for users in terms of time and effort.

      “It is often suggested that users are hopelessly lazy and unmotivated on security questions,” Herley wrote. “They chose weak passwords, ignore security warnings, and are oblivious to certificates errors. We argue that users’ rejection of the security advice they receive is entirely rational from an economic perspective. The advice offers to shield them from the direct costs of attacks, but burdens them with far greater indirect costs in the form of effort.”

      In the case of Facebook’s privacy settings, there may have been a decision that they did the best they could as far as educating the public, opined Berin Szoka, senior fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation. Facebook announced its intention to make the changes earlier in the year, and included a “transition tool” that featured information about what the changes were as well as their impact.

      “You’re kind of damned if you do, damned if don’t, because sometimes these companies will create an interface and somebody will say, -Well there are too many choices … nobody will ever use it,'” Szoka said in an interview with eWEEK Dec. 17. “But if they take away some of the choices, then the criticism is you’re [narrowing] users’ control. I think if people calm down a little bit more, we can have perhaps slightly more rational conversations about these things.”

      Still, Facebook’s move generated no shortage of user reaction on its blog, much of it lambasting the changes. A Facebook spokesperson said that as of Dec. 14, 220 million users had saved settings through the privacy wizard, with about 20 percent selecting their “old settings” for at least one piece of information. More than 40 percent of those who have Facebook’s recommendations preselected are “customizing.” Overall, more than 50 percent of users chose Facebook’s recommended settings, which are the most open.

      In response to the filing of the FTC complaint, Facebook spokesperson Andrew Noyes told eWEEK Dec. 17 that the company had gone to “great lengths to inform users about [its] platform changes.”

      “We’re pleased that so many users have already gone through the process of reviewing and updating their privacy settings and are impressed that so many have chosen to customize their settings, demonstrating the effectiveness of Facebook’s user empowerment and transparency efforts,” he said. “Of course, the new tools offer users the opportunity to decide on privacy with every photo, link or status update they wish to post, so the process of personalizing privacy on Facebook will continue.

      “We discussed the privacy program with many regulators, including the FTC, prior to launch and expect to continue to work with them in the future,” he added.

      Critics, however, remain skeptical, and while Facebook did respond to user complaints recently by limiting the exposure of a person’s “friends” list, it is clear some users think the social networking site has not gone far enough.

      “Considering the many tens of millions of American consumers who use Facebook, we hope and expect that the FTC will seriously consider the important questions raised by today’s complaint,” according to a blog post by Tim Jones, Activism and Technology Manager at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

      UPDATE: This story was updated to add information from Facebook e-mailed to eWEEK late Dec. 18.

      Brian Prince
      Brian Prince

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×