Props to Verizon handling of privacy-policy changes

Regular readers know I get cranky when website operators do dumb things when it comes to their customers' privacy. 

I believe there should be a basic expectation of transparency and honesty when it comes to using your customers' personal information. Sadly, many companies big and small abuse those relationships. 

So, I was pleasantly surprised with a recent email from Verizon (my cell carrier) that not only alerted me to changes to its privacy policy but gave me concrete examples of how my information might be used and how I could easily opt out of participation should I have concerns. 

Click to read more ...

Take your blinders off, protect your privacy

Personal privacy in a 24-7 digital world may sound quaint, and I'm certainly aware of the tradeoffs each of us makes as personal information becomes  a form of currency. 

But knowing that personal information is currency one should actively and tightly control isn't something the average person is aware of, let alone cares about.

Therein lies a big problem as more and more entities get their hooks into personal data via our computers, smartphones and smart TVs. It's one thing to hand over your name, email address and ZIP code in exchange for free access to a service. But it's much more serious when you're unaware that digital service is also tapping into your personal contact list, following your browsing history, even tracking your location. 

The growth of free smartphone apps has increased the prevalence of these privacy threats. Too often we're too focused on firing up a cool app instead of first reading the fine print that may raise eyebrows.

Case in point: I recently got a notice to upgrade the Android app from a local TV station.* Since my company had just released a new Android app for our 661411 brand, I dived in to the fine print to see what had changed with this TV station app. Good thing I did.

Click to read more ...

Why I don't do Facebook quizzes

When you toss a Facebook quiz my way and I ignore it, I’m not being standoffish. Just being careful with my privacy and that of my Facebook friends.

It’s not widely known, but every time you fill out a Facebook quiz or play a game, you’re handing over access to your profile info and other content -- as well as that of every one of your Facebook friends -- to the person or company that created the application. Those outfits -- marketers, advertisers, businesses, and lord knows who else -- then have access to a rich pile of personal data that you may or may not want to control.

NPR has just posted a quick read/listen 4-part series titled “The End of Privacy” that taps into just how much private information we hand over willy-nilly in exchange for online coupons or access to games and the like. Here’s the specific segment on the Facebook. It’s worth reading, even if you decide to continue with those “Think you really know ‘80s hair bands?” quizzes.

The theory behind Facebook making all that info available to marketers is that in exchange for providing “sticky” popular content that makes Facebook a fun destination, those companies can then better target their advertising to the people more likely to buy their stuff. The problem is the bar is pretty low in terms of who Facebook allows to create apps. If you’re skilled enough, you can create a popular app that spreads like wildfire. But what assurances do I have that you’ll do the right thing and keep my information safe and sound? None.

Yeah, some of the worries over privacy in an age of social media are overblown. But there’s a difference between being open and throwing caution to the wind. Our friends in Canada are concerned enough that they’ve ordered Facebook to be more transparent in explaining how user data is collected and shared. If that transparency is good enough for users in Canada, don’t you wonder why Facebook isn’t doing the same in the U.S.?

One last takeaway from the NPR package: People are MORE likely to hand over personal information to cheesy-looking sites rather than authoritative sites. Apparently, our guards are down when we think knuckleheads are building the sites. Scary, particularly for those of us who actually take care to guard the privacy of our site users. 

Update on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9:33 AM by Logan Molen

MediaPost has an interesting story today about Facebook taking action against companies that are putting scam offers in popular apps:

"Facebook did not disclose which ad networks it suspended. Earlier this year, Facebook banned networks SocialHour and SocialReach for allegedly running misleading in-app ads and using Facebook member data on outside landing pages.

"The company said it had also "suspended or brought into compliance" more than 100 applications for ad-related violations in regions globally, over half of which had more than one million monthly active users.

" 'We recognize that monitoring ads isn't the first area of focus for an entrepreneur just getting started with social applications. That's why ad networks that don't play by the rules should expect to be our first point of contact in our line of enforcement," according to Facebook. The company says 70% of its 300 million users engage with apps each month."

Maybe there is hope that Facebook will do the right thing. 

More detail in Facebook's developers' blog.

Update on Friday, December 11, 2009 at 5:52 PM by Logan Molen

Facebook has just launched a fresh campaign to highlight the options its users have in protecting their privacy. This week, users began seeing messages that explain the tools they have to control distribution of their content.

PC World has several good pro and con takes. David Coursey walks one through the land mines, while Brennon Slattery bemoans these changes in a post titled "Why Privacy Concerns are Ruining Facebook."

What do you think? Am I a weasel in believing Facebook should give its users more control or is openness and truthiness simply the game moving forward?