No Privacy - Open Post #2

The Wall Street Journal recent article about Facebook’s breach of privacy claims that “many of the popular applications on the social-networking site Facebook Inc. have been transmitting identifying information...to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies.” This information was found in a Wall Street investigation that proves that Facebook is violating it’s privacy rules and is providing personal details about the site’s users.

According to the additional research I’ve done on this new finding, reveals that this concern isn’t solely linked to Facebook, and in fact, it’s a web-wide problem.  As stated by techcrunch.com, “if we do stuff online, people are tracking it and putting it into a database and trying to sell you stuff based on that.” It is perhaps not as serious and consequential as The Wall Street Journal article would like us to believe. Furthermore, it is important to note that “the Wall Street Journal’s sister company and Facebook competitor is Myspace” so there may be ulterior motives hidden in the accusatory allegations.

Whether these accusations can be considered serious or not, the New York Times had already reported that Facbook vows to fix  this flaw in data protection. In a statement, "Facebook said that while it would be a challenge to do so, it planned to introduce "new technical systems that will dramatically limit the sharing of users IDs," and would continue to enforce its policies..."

The truth about how much of our personal information is shared between websites that we are unaware of, is not entirely clear. The details we share on Facebook with our friends and peers that appear to be secure and private, seems to leak to various third parties online, such as advertising sites and tracking companies. However, the tendency for information to be passed around on the web is also an issue with search engines and e-mail accounts. It isn’t surprising that this may cause many people to worry and be concerned about their privacy and personal information and therefore be reluctant to use sites that cannot be trusted.  Nevertheless, this trend of sharing information can also be seen as a positive and useful movement. Maybe, having certain websites categorize, personalize and customize our searches and features can be convenient and favorable. It is important to keep in mind that there are businesses and enterprises out there that can use our personal information and help manage our interests and preferences.