Facebook is no stranger to controversial privacy issues. The massive social media site has come under fire of late for its numerous changes to its privacy settings. The latest bit of controversy comes from a recent glitch that the site suffered on Wednesday, and it has raised new concerns among users.
The glitch gave individuals access to private information (like chat logs) from other user accounts. This incident, while relatively brief, has added to the already mounting concern users have with Facebook and its stance on privacy. A short time ago the site established new privacy settings that essentially make user information public, unless removed from the site. It is this decision that first aroused concern among users.
James E. Katz, a professor of communications at Rutgers University stated “Facebook is increasingly finding itself at the center of a tense discussion over privacy and how personal data is used by the Web sites that collect it.”
According to the NY Times there are a fair amount of individuals who don’t even understand Facebook’s privacy settings. A recent consumer report showed that some 23 percent of users on the site either do not understand the privacy settings or do not know they exist. This adds to a much deeper concern that individuals have with Facebook’s vague details concerning its privacy settings.
The question individuals are asking is if the details of Facebook’s privacy settings are vague on purpose? It would make sense considering the stance the site has taken, as well as the fact it encourages users to share and be open. It is this lack of transparency concerning privacy that has users and critics more concerned than the issue of privacy itself.
NY Times
