social networking sites selling information to third parties
TRANSCRIPT
Social Networking Sites Selling Information to Third Parties
Huffington Post, 2014
Introduction
• Some social media sites have started selling information about their users to third parties. These third parties take personal information that has been shared with users friends and families, and use it to try to advertise to specific people better. This may seem harmless, but knowing that your personal information is no longer personal at all can be quite frightening.
Examples of Companies Selling Users Information to Third Parties
– Facebook makes money by selling information about your friends, hobbies, age, relationship status, etc.
– Google uses information from Gmail’s, things you’ve searched, etc. to make money from advertisers
– Twitter uses “tweets” to make a profit by selling the popular ones to advertisers
– YouTube targets ads based on videos watch
Cont’d– Pinterest is legally allowed to sell names, numbers, email addresses, and third parties– LinkedIn has a new “Pro” option that charges users for a feature that tells them who has visited their page and what they thought of it– Tumblr has sold its users’ information to Yahoo!
Hendricks, 2014
– Facebook has released that they sell personal information to advertisers, developers and partners
– Personal information posted on Facebook by users is being shared with millions of companies
– When Facebook users “Like” something, information is given to advertisers
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/facebook-is-using-you.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&
Facebook Logo Detail, n.d
• Where does Google’s Money come From?– Google made an estimated $36.5 billion through
advertising in 2011 • How does Google make it’s money?– Google sells information from users anywhere
from a Google search to information inside a Gmail
http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/trusting-your-private-data-to-google-is-like-trusting-your-chickens-to-mr-fox-1173302
Google is Evil, n.d.
• Twitter sells promoted tweets to firms interested in learning more about consumers
• Twitter generated $32 million licensing its data• Once firms have purchased information from
Twitter, they resell the data to analytics companies.
http://business.time.com/2013/10/08/twitter-is-selling-access-to-your-tweets-for-millions/
Evil Twitter Logo, 2012
• LinkedIn sells information to its own users, offering to show them who’s viewed their profile.
• This feature is called the “Pro” feature.• LinkedIn promotes its own privacy policy, that it
has personally violated by selling information back to users.
http://www.hive76.org/linkedin-is-selling-your-clicks-and-violating-its-own-privacy-policy
Logo for Linkedin, 2013
• It is recorded in Pinterest’s privacy policy that users’ information can be sold.
• It is not known specifically what is sold• But the company is able to sell any information it
collects, such as:– Names– Phone numbers– Email adresses– And morehttp://blog.hotspotshield.com/2013/06/25/social-media-privacy-concerns/
• Tumblr sold all of its information to Yahoo!• Tumblr is a blog style website where users often
feel it’s appropriate to share extremely personal information to their readers
• Giving a magnitude of personal information to one of the internet’s largest corporations many are considering a huge breach in user privacy
http://blog.hotspotshield.com/2013/06/25/social-media-privacy-concerns/
Logo for Tumblr, n.d
• YouTube has converted over to target marketing.• This is controversial because YouTube has to sell
information about what users are watching to companies to show Ads that directly targets each user’s interests.
• Google has emphasized that this service is only done on YouTube.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/mar/11/googlethemedia-google
YouTube
Legality• Before a user can access a social network, he or she
must read and accept a privacy policy. • It is understood by social networks that most users
neglect to read these policies• This allows for social networks to put controversial
statements in their policies• This takes the legal responsibility away from social
networkshttps://www.privacyrights.org/social-networking-privacy-how-be-safe-secure-and-social#laws Law, 2013
How to Protect Yourself
• Avoid– Full names when signing up for social media sites– Using your everyday email account when signing
up for social media so that it won’t be spammed with junk mail
– Using these social media sites all together if you are very concerned about your personal information being sold to larger companies
Internet Security, n.d.
Implications
– Information found online has been used against people in court because legally law enforcement is allowed to have full access to anything online
– You may be turned down for credit or insurance because these companies have access to your online information
– Users have no ability to know where their personal information has gone or where it is being stored
In Summary
– Large internet companies have been able and will continue to sell your personal information online
– There are many ways to protect yourself from these companies and keep your information personal
– Ultimately the best thing to do is properly educate yourself on the user agreements before signing your life away
ReferencesGoogle is Evil. n.d. Evil Google logo. Retrieved from http://images.seroundtable.com/google-is-evil-300x270-1314103412.jpgFacebook Logo Detail. n.d. Facebook logo. Retrieved from http://www.underconsideration.com/bran dnew/archives/facebook_logo_detail.gifHuffington Post (2014). Social Media. Retrieved from http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-05-06-socialmedia.jpgHendricks, D. (2014). Social Media Tips. Retrieved from http://drewahendricks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/social-media- tips.jpgEvil Twitter Logo. (2012). Twitter Bird with Horns. Retrieved from http://www.hyphenet.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/twitter-bird- with-horns.pngLogo for Linkedin. (2013). Linkedin Logo. Retrieved from http://www.nitahelpinghand.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/linkedin- logo.pngLogo for Tumblr. n.d. Tumblr Logo. Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Tumblr_Logo.svg
ReferencesLaw. (2013). Gavel picture. Retrieved from http://www.everything-taxidermy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/law.jpgInternet Security. n.d. Lock and earth. Retrieved from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RVgH8LzKEW4/TsEH6FCpyXI/AAAAAAAAA A0/HzzfbqeAQN4/s1600/internetsecurity.pngAndrews, L. (2012). Facebook is Using you. Sunday Review. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/facebook-is-using- you.html?pagewanted=all&_r=4&Luckerson, V. (2013). Twitter is Selling Access to your Tweets for Millions. Time. Retrieved from http://business.time.com/2013/10/08/twitter-is-selling- access-to-your-tweets-for-millions/Marshall, G. (2013). Trusting your private data to Google is like trusting your chickens to Mr Fox. Techradar. Retrieved from http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/trusting-your-private-data-to- google-is-like-trusting-your-chickens-to-mr-fox-1173302Jmil. (2012). LinkedIn is selling your clicks and violating its own Privacy Policy. Hive76. Retrieved from http://www.hive76.org/linkedin-is-selling-your-clicks-and- violating-its-own-privacy-policy
References
Nguyen, P. (2013). Social Media Privacy Policy Loopholes You Need to Know About. Hotspot Shield. Retrieved from http://blog.hotspotshield.com/2013/06/2 5/social- media-privacy-concerns/Kiss, J. (2009). Google introduces targeted display ads on sites
including YouTube. Theguardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/mar/11/googlethemedia-google(2014). Fact Sheet 35: Social Networking Privacy: How to be S
afe, Secure and Social. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Retrieved from https://www.privacyrights.org/social-networking-privacy-how-be-safe-secure-and- social#laws