It's sad to admit, but I'd never read the Facebook Privacy Policy before I had to do my final essay for MDSB61. And once I read it, I was completely shocked! I knew Facebook had security issues, but I never knew the extent. I had no idea that so much information was available to third parties and that Facebook does not own, control, nor is it responsible for any of the applications available like the Honesty Box. And people who have used any application on Facebook before will know that it can't be used until you agree to let the application have access to your profile. Honestly, I'd never thought about it before and just clicked accept right away because I figured, "Well Facebook already has my information, so I guess it's OK," without realizing that I was allowing third parties to view my content. And who knows how that content was used, for what purposes, and how long it was stored in the third partys' databases.
I also had no idea that Facebook doesn't guarantee that a user's content will not become publicly available. It's a scary thought. I don't want my private information, that I share with my friends, to be made public! Although I don't have any content that is 'inappropriate' ('cause I'm a good girl :), content has the potential to be taken out of context if one does not know the background information, and I wouldn't want people to have preconceived notions about me, or have the wrong impression.
Even though I am concerned, I know I'm not about to give up my Facebook account anytime soon. It has become a very important tool for communication and social interaction. But I think the first step to protecting the privacy of users is to raise awareness. Also, I believe it would help a lot if Facebook made it impossible to download other users' photos (only view them). That would at least put my mind at ease about any of my photos becoming public.
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