4 privacy features you won't find in your settings

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• Every time you download a smartphone app, you allow developers to see some of your information, from your name to address book, Twitter account information, locations and photos.
• No to goetags - posting photos on sisal networks can be seen as harmless however people are able to see what information your smartphone tags to it such as your location.
• 'Berkeley, and the International Computer Science Institute put together a super-creepy project that shows just how much information you’re sharing when you post on Twitter and Instagram'
• Go underground - If you take privacy seriously you wouldn't use social networks that pass on information to advertisers.

California allows minors to delete social media posts, with 'erase' law

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California is now requiring social media companies to allow young users to delete unwanted posts on the internet. 'The first-in-the-country law is being hailed as a goos step. especially in the adsnece of a federal law', in giving internet users under the age of 18 a chance to remove 'regrettable postings that preserve their reputation'.

"This puts privacy in the hands of kids. teenagers and the parents, not under the control of an anonymous tech company" - James Steyer.

But this previous post discusses the idea of not being able to truly delete anything off the internet.

Mom’s Social Media ‘Lesson’ for Her Daughter Blows Up in Her Face

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This news story demonstrates how fast something travels on the internet, and the amount of personal information a person can find out from one small thing like a photo and the number of people it affects.

Big Data Summit 2014: Youth social media oversharing “a real challenge” for workplace data privacy

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'A young generation brought up with no qualms about sharing absolutely everything on Facebook is presenting a real challenge to data privacy policies in the workplace.'

There a discussions of the ethics of managing privacy on the internet, where a younger generation of audiences are not having the 'right' attitudes toward what information they are sharing on the internet and who they are sharing it with. 


There is an example of here that proves that you can be sure that anything will be kept confidential.

The withering of secrecy: Technology reveals your life on social media

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'How easy is it to use social media to find out what people are doing, without them realizing they are being watched?'

This article show just how quickly someone can find out for personal information and track your every move without your knowledge, and the amount of information people have access to may surprise you. 

Borrowers angry at social media lender spying

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Here is another example of surveillance, where people are unaware of exactly who is watching and tracking their every move, every word and every action.

Your online freedom is worth fighting for, isn't it?

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"What might the thousands of words and images sent out by a teenager today be used for decades down the line, not to mention the gigabytes of data representing their recorded actions and preferences?" 

There are agencies that help in dealing with online protection. For example if you need your identity removed from any sites, for example news stories or pictures that have been uploaded without your permission, for a price they will help working on getting it deleted. - Reputation.com

However, there is always risk of the 'Streisand effect' - spreading what you don't want to draw notice to around the internet. 

In the 1990s a man call Mario Costeja had financial problems and had to sell his house to pay off a debt, this ended up in the news and this information was the first thing that would come up when you Googled his name. The information was misleading and has ruined his reputation socially and professionally.

How do you know whatever has been posted hasn't been copied by someone already? So if you think you have deleted it, it probably hasn't completely deleted from the internet.

How do justify information being taken down from a website when you have posted yourself?
For example, pictures from when you were younger.
People change - but is that a valid excuse?

How to delete yourself from the internet

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You can only deactivate your profile, which means the information from your profile is not completed erased from the database. Also users are likely to use third parties, such as games and other extra features within their use of social media that access their information which will remain on their database.

Sites like Pipl.com, a people search, shows the profiles of all individuals on some kind of social networking site

Tracking our online trackers

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'As you surf the web, information is being collected about you. Web racking is not 100% evil- personal data can make your browsing more efficient; cookies can help your favourite websites stay in business. But, says Gary Kovacs, it's your right to know what data is being collected about you.'

Although many people think that the internet is a safe place where you can connect, share and communicate with millions of people around the world, 'the price we're being asked to pay for all of this connectedness is our privacy'.

Today the internet is not a private place - 'With every click of a mouse and every touch of the screen, we are like HAnsel and Gretel leaving breadcrumbs of our personal information everywhere we travel through the digital woods.'  We tell everyone our birthdays, where we live, where we've visited, who we talk to, interests, preferences, relationships, financial histories and much more.

Collusion  is an experimental browser add on that you can install of firefox browser that helps you see where your web data is going and who is tracking you.

How to fool a GPS

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'Todd Humphreys forecasts the near-future of geolocation when millimetre-accurate GPS "dots" will enable you to find pin-point locations, index-search you physical pros sessions…or track people without their knowledge. And the response to the sinister side of this technology may have unintended consequences of its own'

GPS system have come along way since we first saw them in the year 2000, where there are more base stations, more ground stations, better receivers , so GPS can give you with a more precise location, where your GPS can not only go from meter or centimetre level but millimetre level positioning  (only if you have internet), and this can only get better.


'Loomig conflict, between privacy and the need for a clean radio spectrum'
'You will never loose track of your things again'
'The GPS dot will fundamentally recorder your life'

The internet, the perfect tool for the surveillance state?

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The key work here is 'surveillance', this alone makes us think of constantly being watched.
'The world relies on American companies for its information needs, virtually every user of the internet is being watched'.


This web page displays a collection of articles, think pieces, op-eds and TED talks on the state of digital privacy  including:

• 'The deep look into data'
• 'A valid question: who is watching the watchers?'
• 'But is open source the answer?'
• 'Another rebuttal to Hypponen: why we can't cut off the data flow between U.S. and the world'
• 'The end of the internet'
• 'Other major threats to privacy: facial recognition, social media, and cell phone GPS'
  

How Social Media is Increasingly Infringing Your Privacy

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It is becoming apparent that 'each year, a new social network rises in popularity that everyone jumps on and uses religiously'.

Every social networks rise in popularity and draw in millions of users but they all come with their own privacy issues, and each time we sign up for one, our information is spread out a little bit further around the internet.'

Cons

• Images rarely belong to you
• Employers and university admissions can constantly are watch you
• Everyone can find the contact information of you

Twitter, evidence, privacy and social media

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A case of Twitter and the court.

'A recent case, albeit one dealing with a governmental subpoena, shows that the SCA may not be the panacea that social networking sites think it is. In People v. Harris, Twitter sought to quash a subpoena it had received to produce all user information and tweets from a criminal defendant’s Twitter account. The court disagreed with Twitter that the subpoena violated the SCA. The court noted that the SCA protects only private communications and that the government can still compel a provider to disclose certain types of information if it obtains a search warrant or court order as prescribed by the statute. As a result, it ordered that certain information be disclosed over Twitter’s objections.'

Social media research raises privacy and ethics issues

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Whatever information you search for and share with your Facebook friends or Twitter followers , 'your "audience" is bigger than you know'.

'Your every online move leaves cyber footprints that are rapidly becoming fodder for research without you ever realising.'

'Using social media for academic research is accelerating and raising ethical concerns along the way, as vast amounts of information' is collected by private companies.

'Facebook and Twitter are giving insight into all aspects of everyday life.'

'Be aware it is a space that is watched' - Social Psychologist Iika Gleibs

Security and Privacy on Social Networking Sites

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Now social media sites are more popular than ever as a means of communication with friends, family and colleagues from local to cross country to around the world. However with the benefits comes disadvantages.

'The volume and accessibility of personal information available on social networking sites have attracted malicious people who seek to exploit this information.' 

Facebook users are committing 'virtual identity suicide' in droves and quitting the site over privacy and addiction fears

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It is said that users are deleting and deactivating their Facebook profiles due to privacy concerns.
Research shows that data protection issues is amongst the main reasons for people leaving the site.

'Reports suggested that Facebook lost nine million active monthly users in the U.S and two million in Britain.'

Research shows that reasons for quitting Facebook were mainly privacy concerns, where people are becoming more aware of cyber - related privacy concerns.

Your Business' Security Is Only as Strong As Your Employee's Weakest Tweet

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Although social networks are a great way of networking allowing you to connect with clients and employees, it also increases the risk of fraud and data theft.

'According to a 2013 Javelin Research report, 69 percent of enterprise businesses are worried that data leaks via social media can expose the business to risk.' 

Users do not realise the seriousness of posting apparently harmless information of their personal social media profiles which can then be used for finishing scams or even answer security questions.

How the EU uses Social Media; privacy versus data sharing debated at the WEF; and mining Twitter for news

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At an economis forum in January 2014, a panel debated the new digital context where privacy and data sharing were discussed. It is said that the panel called for "clear legislative guidelines on information sharing in the way that ensures security without compromising individual rights". This article goes on to say that 'The truth is that legislation cannot keep up with the pace of change'.

Online Reputation -- Losing in Court Thanks to Facebook and Twitter

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The idea of a digital foot print is reinforced here, as everything we do online has potential consequences.

Content you hay think is private such as information posted on Facebook or Twitter can be used against you. Showing how just anyone can get a hold of your personal content, and it is not just your friends who are able to view this. For example in a recent case in Orange County screen captures from Facebook were used in a lawsuit against him.

LinkedIn Sued For 'Hacking' Users' Email Accounts To Spam Friends

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LinkedIn is mean to be a professional networking site, however on four separate occasions individuals have filed a lawsuit agaings them for "hacking" into their email accounts to send invitations to their friends.

'The lawsuit, filled in the U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., alleges that LinkedIn violates the federal wiretap law as well as Calaofrnia privacy laws.'

This shows how trusted media institutions are easily able to access your personal information and email.

Woman Finds Her Stolen Facebook Photos In Prostitution Ads

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This story is a prime example of how privacy does not do what we all think it sets out to.
Dallas Miller, 21, was unaware of the fact that almost a dozen of her photos were stolen off her Facebook and used in prostitution advertisements.

Turkey blocks use of Twitter after prime minister attacks social media site

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This story demonstrates how news can travel fast via social networking sites where privacy terms do not help.

In Turkey wiretapped recordings were leaked on Twitter which threatened to damage the governments reputation ahead of local elections. This lead to Turkey having restricted access to Twitter, it was said that this ban ca,e after complaints were make by citizens that Twitter was breaching privacy.

Facebook terms and conditions: why you don't own your online life

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This article suggests that people brush off the importance of reading the terms and conditions of many social networks as they are spending wore time worrying about what photo they will use as a profile picture. It goes on to summaries just what are included in these terms and conditions that we may not know about.

Facebook

• Facebook has a license to use your content in any way they seem fit.
• Facebook can transfer or sub-license its rights over a users content to another company or organisation if needed.

Twitter

• Twitters terms allow them to use, change and distribute any photos, writing or video posted to any other forms of media or distribution method it wishes. 

A Little Privacy, Please! Your Rights and Social Media Policies

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This article explores how every social media site claims that "Your privacy is  important to us."
There is an ongoing discussion of whether the terms and conditions are there to confuse users or there to help and protect them.
There is a suggestion that users are provided with an illusion of control total over their privacy. However we know that this is not the case, and the major institutions are the ones who have the ultimate control. For example it was said that Facebook mislead their users into thinking they would keep all information on Facebook as private, yet repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public.

It is more evident that Facebook is pushing users to share more and more information about themselves, which defies the purpose of its privacy policy. This article brings to light the facts that Facebook isn't selling the website to users but selling users to advertise.

Audiences do not realise that social media privacy regulations are overstepping the mark, for example the new terms of service for instagram gives them the right to do whatever they want with users pictures.

Statistics show that a significant number or users don't actually understand or even read the terms and conditions to a lot of sisal media sites. This makes us question if this is done on purpose, so audiences are more likely to continue using the site with no doubts or worries.