Privacy Issues and Emerging Technologies

Photo: JonJon2k8 -Flickr

Some believe that new technologies such as cell phones and Facebook are bringing people closer together, but they are also

creating privacy issues and concerns

Photo: Rob Campbell -Flickr

The Growing Popularity of Facebook has caused several privacy concerns, which are often overlooked by its millions of

users

Photo: Marco Paköeningrat – Flickr

In December 2009 Facebook changed its settings to make some data public by requirement and some by default

Photo: Mcdordor2001 - Flickr

Photo: Jorge Ramírez - Flickr

This can be potentially problematic for people who may have nothing to hide but prefer that all of their information be kept private

In August 2009 five plaintiffs filed a civil lawsuit against Facebook claiming that the site violates consumer privacy laws in California. The complaint accused the site of violating the law by disclosing private information to third parties for commercial use (Musil).

Photo: Charlotte Road - Flickr

An Investigation by Canada’s privacy commissioner in July 2009 revealed that Facebook is unconcerned with its users

privacy and should do more to protect their privacy.

A major concern expressed by the commissioner was that it is unclear how members can delete their accounts rather then

deactivate them. This means that Facebook could keep user data for an unknown amount of time which violates Canadian privacy

laws

• Although there are several privacy concerns surrounding Facebook it has not stopped several million users from keeping their accounts active

• Facebook continues to grow in popularity and constantly gains new users

Introducing newsfeed in 2006 led to major member backlash.

However, in the last five years the majority of people have come to

accept the newsfeed and the number of Facebook users

continues to grow.

Image: cbhdesign -Flickr

41% of people

aged 8-17 have their

profile privacy settings

set to the default setting Photo –Megan

Brown –Flickr

OPEN

This means

that their profile is visible to anyone

“Get Safe Online Research” found

that 25% of registered users

on Social Networking Sites posted

sensitive personal

information on their profiles

This personal data

included, phone

number, home

address or email

address

It has been discovered that smartphones which run Google’s android system can track its users locations and store the data in the

phone

The Cellebrite UFED is able to pull information from cell

phones, smart phones, Android devices, Iphones

and Ipods

Photo - http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/are-smartphone-searches-legal-5603061?src=rss

Police are able to use this device to scan the contents of your phone during a traffic stop

Your smartphone contains a lot of personal information including your emails, your

contacts, where you have been and what you have done

Photo- freedomONE1 -Flicker

It is scary to think your phone contains information about who you know, what you have said to them, where you have been

and with whom

Photo- Globwon –Online -Flickr

The amount of information stored on your phone becomes a privacy concern when

you consider the consequences if you lost it or it was stolen

It is scary to think how much one little device is able to reveal about your life to the police or a complete stranger and the

damage that could be done if it were to fall into the wrong hands

Sources:• Images: Flickr.com• Text :http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/are-

smartphone-searches-legal-5603061?src=rss • http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/Android_phones_track_your_location_to

o.php• http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/why_facebook_is_wrong_about_privacy.

php

• http://socialmediastatistics.wikidot.com/privacy-and-safety• http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10311625-93.html