OPINION
Online privacy for dummies
28-09-2007
by Emmet Ryan
Internet privacy is almost an oxymoron but are websites paying more attention to protecting users?
The evolution of the new internet (Web 2.0) with social networking, video sharing and blogs has seen millions of people share their experiences with the world at large.
While these new means of communicating and interacting have helped people to come together online they have also raised concerns about invasions of privacy. Social networking sites such as Bebo, MySpace and Facebook have come under fire for failing to provide adequate security measures.
Providing security is a hefty burden for these firms as, despite their popularity, some of the top social networks are still SME-sized. Bebo for example has less than 100 staff worldwide and over half of these are devoted to security. However, IT security experts feel there are steps many networks, even those with limited staff numbers such as Bebo, could take to protect both individual users and the network as a whole.
"The options for privacy that providers of social networks give users should be displayed more clearly. Very few people read through these options in full," said Conor Flynn, technical director of IT security firm RITS.
"Social networks are falling down in their obligations to protect user privacy. Rather than having a general or low privacy setting set automatically when users sign up they should have it set at the highest level and allow users to switch down to lower levels," said Flynn.
He said users that joined social networks without taking measures to protect themselves are at risk as their personal data is easily accessible to anyone.
"People are leaving themselves open to identity theft and there's also a darker side where some users might use the networks to groom underage users," said Flynn.
He said social networking sites can better protect users and in some respects shift the burden of responsibility onto members by taking a strong stance on privacy.
"Providers need to have the default setting at the most private level available. That way users have to make a conscious decision and specifically allow their accounts to be open to the public," said Flynn.
Social networking providers are beginning to pay heed to some of the calls being made by the IT security industry. In July Bebo set up a set of educational resources to promote safe and responsible use of social networking.
Despite these moves the bulk of social networking site members do not feel that the personal information they post is well guarded.
Researchers from Pace University in New York published a report this month which found that only 5 percent of Facebook and MySpace users felt their information was strongly protected. Interestingly, the researchers found that many of these users are willing to let the sites sell their personal data in return for access to the sites' social networking features. These findings show that in many respects social networking users are aware of the consequences when they log in.
"I probably take fewer precautions than I should," said David Neary, a regular user of both Facebook and Bebo from Dublin, who added that most users are smart enough to be careful with what they post online.
"I think the reality is that you can be accountable for what you say on the internet, you're hardly going to put up information people can blackmail you with," he said. "If criminals can get enough out of Bebo to steal your identity then you really need to look at what sort of information you are making available."
Neary said one of the main attractions of social networking sites was the ability to share information with the world at large. "I don't see the point in services like these if people can't see what you're saying," he said.
"People should be cautious, but you should have enough common sense to know what to put online," said Neary. "When you are conversing with your friends in general, be it in person or online, you've got to watch what you say. All it takes is for one person to tell another person what you said and the information is no longer within your control."
While users such as Neary are happy to share their information online there are growing calls for social networks to do more to protect users as part of a wider movement demanding more privacy online.
When Google speaks the web listens, and earlier this month the internet giant called for new international standards on internet privacy to be established. The move comes at a time when the firm is the target of a European Union investigation into its privacy practices.
Google is arguing for standards similar to those in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum to be adopted worldwide. While a single model may bring clarity to how internet privacy is regulated there are concerns that APEC's system is too lax.
For now the waters remain muddy, to be sure, internet companies could do more to protect users' data, but a smattering of common sense from users could also go a long way to keeping their personal details under wraps.
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