Terms of Service

NET303Policy Primer

Susan Appleton

http://www.j1studios.com/archives/2345

So you’ve been told that you have to get onto Facebook because that’s where all the latest family snaps are!

But whilst you prefer email or telephone your Gen Y kids prefer the immediacy of Facebook! (Westlake, 2008)

http://lolbyte.com/lols/top-9-funny-old-people-pictures/

Newspapers are also telling you that once you “get a taste of high-speed access, they often come to rely on the internet as an everyday utility in their lives.” (Madden, 2010)

Which is all well and good your thinking, but what about privacy issues? You want to know what you’re signing up for.

But to get you started here are a few facts from Facebook’s Terms of Service or TOC.

Facebook likes to promote “openness and transparency by giving individuals greater power to share and connect.” (Facebook 2012)

YOU own your information and can share it with who ever you want too. YOU can also remove it and take it anywhere you want.(Facebook 2012)

Facebook encourage you to read their Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

They ask you to help them keep Facebook safe and they don’t guarantee your safety. have a Data Use Policy

Facebook are happy for you to participate as LITTLE or as MUCH as you like.

Facebook’s service “should transcend geographic and national boundaries and be available to everyone in the world.” (Facebook 2012)

HOWEVER, whenever you post a photo or video you are AGREEING to Facebook having “a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license” to use this content. (Facebook 2012)

If and when you delete this content, it will still show up if you have shared it with others and will still be there until THEY delete it. (Facebook 2012)

Facebook’s TOS has SAFETY WARNINGS about bullying, spam and other nasty stuff that includes hate speech, nudity, porn and violence. (Facebook 2012)

You can’t do any of that stuff and you can REPORT to Facebook if you see anything you deem to be offensive.

Facebook gets information from other devices that you use to access Facebook e.g. mobile phones.

“For example, we may get your GPS or other location information so we can tell you if any of your friends are nearby.” (Facebook 2012)

“Your name, profile pictures, cover photos, gender, networks, username and User ID are treated just like information you choose to make public.” (Facebook 2012)

http://funny-pictures-blog.com/2012/07/23/facebook-meme-5/

If you don’t want your age or birth date out there, you can choose not to make it public.

When you post a comment, photo or video you can choose to make it public, friends or custom. (Facebook 2012)

If you don’t want anybody knowing what you think about an issue, remember that if you COMMENT on somebody else’s post and they make it public, EVERYBODY will see your comment. (Facebook 2012)

www.inblive.in.com

“The real privacy concerns arise when users allow people they do not know and normally would not trust to have access to the personally identifiable information they have made available.” Goettke, R., & Christiana, J. (2007)

http://pictures-funny-pictures-the-new-born-almond-by-

Facebook are strict on you using your own NAME and giving them UP TO DATE details.

And you have to be over 13 YEARS OLD to join, so don’t let the grandkids trick you into signing them up! (Facebook 2012)

Facebook also collect data EVERY TIME you interact on Facebook, “such as when you look at another person's timeline, send or receive a message, search for a friend or a Page, click on, view or otherwise interact with things.” (Facebook 2012)

This makes the privacy and application settings an important page on Facebook.

REMEMBER that Facebook do and will change the settings back to their DEFAULT mode when they update, so check back regularly.

Once you have joined Facebook maybe think about making a family or friend Facebook Group. You have control over who sees, comments and views your content.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/pets_community/

The TOC for Groups are the same as your regular Facebook page and you have control over who sees the content put on the groups page depending on whether you make it public or private.

Facebook can be a fantastic cheap and easy way to keep up with what’s going on in your families lives and catching up with people you haven’t seen in forever!

Just remember to keep up to date with the changes Facebook make to their Terms of Service.

REFERENCES:

Facebook (2012) Facebook Terms of Service Retrieved 9 October 2012 from:https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms

Facebook (2012) Facebook Privacy Policy. Retrieved 12 October 2012 from:https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy

Facebook (2012) Facebook Data Use Policy. Retrieved 10 October 2012 from:https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/

Goettke, R., & Christiana, J. (2007). Privacy and Online Social Networking Websites. Computer Science 199r: Special Topics in Computer Science Computation and Society: Privacy and Technology.Available: http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/cs199r/fp/RichJoe.pdf

LolByte (image) Retrieved 14 October 2012http://lolbyte.com/lols/top-9-funny-old-people-pictures/

Funny Pictures Blog (image) Retrieved 14 October 2012http://funny-pictures-blog.com/2012/07/23/facebook-meme-5/

Zeebarf (image) Retrieved 14 October 2012 from: www.zeebarf.com

The New Born Almond (Image) Retrieved 14 October 2012 from: http://pictures-funny-pictures-the-new-born-almond-by-grozniqbg.funnyfunny12.no-ip.org/

Glitter Graphics (image) Flickr Retrieved 14 October 2012 http://www.flickr.com/groups/pets_community/

Shut Up I’m Talking (image) Retrieved 14 October 2012www.shutupimtalking.com

Westlake, E.J. (2008), Vol. 52, No. 4 (T200) Friend Me if You Facebook: Generation Y and Performative Surveillance Page 27, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Madden, M (2010). Retrieved 12 October 2012 from: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Older-Adults-and-Social-Media/Report/Implications.aspx