Week4: Tutorial task

FACEBOOK: The terms of service that users comply to when creating a Facebook profile.

Exploring Facebook’s ‘terms of service’ is certainly alarming.

Privacy – Once posting images and content onto Facebook, the network is ultimately the owner of that information. “…and how we collect and can use your content and information” (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsibilities 2011, Para. 1). This means that if someone else was to use your information (e.g. Date of birth, name), found through Facebook, it is identity theft and completely illegal. However, if Facebook uses your content, it is no longer identity theft, and is legal. Hildebrand (2009) states that “Cyber criminals who use Facebook to get personal information about their potential victims will face up to ten years in jail”, and further notes that “Under proposed laws targeting the use of social networking sites for identity theft, police for the first time will be able to arrest and charge online fraudsters for improperly accessing or using information”. Difficult to grasp that Facebook does not have to abide by the laws of identity theft, and our information, once posted on Facebook, is theirs.

Safety – This is an aspect not guaranteed by Facebook. “We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it” (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsiblities 2011, para. 2). In fact, the ‘terms’ go on to suggest that it is our responsibility (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsiblities 2011). I Agree with this, it is our responsibility to a certain degree, however if Facebook has ownership over our information, there is only so much we can protect. So, it can be said that we place most of our safety and privacy into the hands of Facebook.

To further note, Facebook states, “If you select a username for your account we reserve the right to remove or reclaim it if we believe appropriate (such as when a trademark owner complains about a username that does not closely relate to a user's actual name)” (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsiblities 2011, para.4). This simply reinforces the power Facebook has over it users. Having the ability to ‘remove or reclaim’ a username implies the lack of ownership we have over our Facebook content.

As a user of Facebook, it’s shocking to learn of these ‘terms and conditions’, but it is perhaps more shameful that I have complied with these ‘terms’ without even reading them when first signing up. I have somewhat given away my rights to privacy and my information without even an acknowledgment.

REFERENCE LIST:

Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsibilities 2011, viewed 21 August 2011, http://www.facebook.com/terms.php

Hildebrand, J 2009, Facebook Identity Theft enough for Jail, web blog, viewed 21 August 2011, http://www.news.com.au/facebook-identity-theft-enough-for-jail/story-0-1225748436706