Episode #10: Have You Read the "Privacy" Policy Lately?

Have Your Read ____ Privacy Policy Lately? You Should!

We thank/blame Chris Gilliard (@hypervisible) for bringing awareness to how we’re using social media spaces and digital tools -- specifically about privacy, access, data, and then some on the Interwebs. SO we brought him back to tackle a “fun” extracurricular @BreakDrink Project: Social Media Privacy Policies and Terms of Service for the three main hitters for social networks used in the US - Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Here are some links and notes from our conversations and review of said policies. Enjoy... and CHECK+ADJUST YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA SETTINGS NOW!

Privacy Apps and Search Engines to install to protect your privacy & browsing/tracking online:

Privacy Badger blocks spying ads and invisible trackers c/o the Electronic Frontier FoundationUblock Origin - remove the clutter not the content + appDuckDuckGo - a search engine that does not store or give away your personal information. Ever.StartPage - search the web in a private way; a private search engineGoogle Incognito Browser - a.k.a. “Porn mode” - does not track your information but does hold your IP

Go on. Search one of the above search engines and compare your results for yourself. We DARE you!

Net Neutrality & Digital Rights

Questions asked about Net Neutrality (about) and browsing history was shared on a recent episode as Senator Ron Wyden discusses what we need to know about digital rights on the @NoteToSelf podcast. We need to know what decisions congress is tackling on Internet Privacy Rules. (pssst... Congress overturned this.)

@HBO’s Last Week Tonight is where John Oliver discusses Net Neutrality and there’s a Net Neutrality, Part II recently shared in May 2017 to follow-up from the original episode you should watch and learn about. 

TOS & Policy 101 on the Social Web

WHen was the last time you considered reviewing a policy OR the terms of service (TOS) from your favorite social network. As we are interested in this area, we reviewed the following “Privacy” (or Data) Policies from the 3 main networks we use and know other colleagues in higher ed frequent. 

Facebook 

-Privacy Policies on & TOS on Social from June 2016

-Facebook Privacy https://www.facebook.com/about/terms-updates 

-Facebook Terms & Policies https://www.facebook.com/policies 

-Multiple hoaxes on Fb privacy http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dont-fall-for-viral-facebook-hoaxes/ 

-Ironically the “Privacy” policy has been changed to read “Data” Policy per the change in URL https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy <= It was “privacy”

-Default setting of privacy = EVERYONE; you must check EACH time this is updated or modified; updates default you into the “public” setting from 2009 onward

-FACT CHECK: Facebook’s IPO was May 18, 2012 and not in 2010 

-Facebook's Eroding Privacy Policy: A Timeline via EFF (2010)

-The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook via Matt McKeon

-Items began to get indexed and searchable of you on the web from Facebook changed in 2009 and 2010

-Top 10 companies owned by Facebook: Instagram, Whatsapp, etc.

-PSA: Facebook IS public. We repeat: FACEBOOK IS PUBLIC; “the nature of these platforms is that they are extractive... their entire goal is to mine... data.” @hypervisible

-The Facebook Business Model = DATA p.s. They take your data from you whether you are on the app or not; we are ALL pieces of data that can be turned around and sold

-If we’re going to give Facebook our data, they should do something good with it.

-Privacy Check-Up from Jeff to show you the illusion of privacy 

-These are the memes that caused Harvard to rescind offers to 10 incoming freshmen 

-Google search for Facebook Spikes for Facebook until... September 2015:

-Emotional Contagion of June 30, 2014 

--- Facebook emotion study breached ethical guidelines, researchers say

--- Furor Erupts Over Facebook's Experiment on Users

Twitter  - Change May 18, 2017; Update effective June 18, 2017

-Twitter’s Update to their Privacy Policy:  https://support.twitter.com/articles/20174594

-ALL social media buttons (Twitter, Facebook, etc. share buttons) will be tracking your web browsing patterns. YES. This is without sharing.

PREVENT online tracking and targeted ads on social media. E.g. Facebook is one of many tracking

-Twitter is the least marketable platform; most of their privacy changes impact how the platform will function more like Facebook

-Surveillance Capitalism via Shoshana Zuboff, i.e. these social media platforms are extractive = take data to monetize t...