August 27th, 2009
Posted by Chris Conley, ACLU of Northern California

Privacy & Technology

Today, in response to an inquiry by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Facebook announced plans to enhance user privacy over the next year. Some of these plans address third party applications, like quizzes and games, that have access to a lot of your personal information.

Wondering what this is all about? Concerned about your privacy on Facebook?

If you're a Facebook user, check out the ACLU of Northern California's very own quiz.  It's a behind-the-scenes look at all the personal details a Facebook app can collect about you and your friends - and some steps you can take to keep your private information from landing in the wrong hands (including changing your own privacy settings)!

(And, yes, we know it's a little weird to warn you about Facebook quizzes by asking you to take a Facebook quiz - but at least you know who we are and that we are committed to living up to our privacy policy, unlike many quiz authors who haven't posted a privacy policy at all!)

Today's Facebook Quizzes Get a Failing Grade for Privacy
Even if your Facebook profile is "private," when you take a quiz, an unknown quiz developer could be getting access to almost everything in your profile:  your religious views, sexual orientation, political affiliation, pictures, and groups. Facebook quizzes also have access to most of the info on your friends' profiles. This means that if your friend takes a quiz, they could be giving away your personal information too. (But, again, don't just take our word for it: take our quiz and see for yourself!)

And Facebook's current restrictions on the collection and use of personal information by applications are simply inadequate. Although Facebook's Terms of Service require that applications limit the collection and use of information, enforcing terms like these is really difficult. That means that random developers who choose to ignore the Terms of Service could potentially sweep up vast amount of personal information about you and your friends - and once they've collected it, they could easily sell it, share it, or even turn it over to the government. This is a major privacy hole, and Facebook needs to take stronger steps to address this problem than just writing a sentence in a rarely-read document.

Facebook Responds - But We Still Need Your Help

In response to the Privacy Commissioner's investigation, Facebook has committed to taking several steps to improve user privacy. As part of these changes, Facebook needs to ensure that users are truly in control of their own information. That means changing the default privacy settings so that each user, and not that user's friends, can decide whether to share her information with a third-party application.

That's where you come in. Learn what you can do to protect yourself right now - and help us pressure Facebook to make meaningful changes in the coming months!

If you are a Facebook user, start by taking our quiz yourself and updating your own privacy settings.

 

Then tell Facebook that you want stronger protection by default by signing our online petition.

 

Be part of the movement by sharing the quiz via Facebook and by joining us on the dotRights fan page.

 

And, finally, help us spread the word by voting for our panel proposals for SXSW 2010 [registration required].

 

Don't let Facebook's default settings force you to silently pay with your privacy when you - or your friends - use Facebook. Demand that Facebook upgrade its privacy controls to give you control of your personal info. Demand Your dotRights!

Ellen Griffith Spears was a visiting assistant professor in the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University, and currently teaches courses in Emory's Department of Environmental Studies. She is also the former associate director of the Southern Regional Council, and served as managing editor of the SRC's quarterly journal, Southern Changes. Ellen was interim Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia in 1991 and has been a long time supporter.  During this time, the ACLU of Georgia was working to address the issue of police misconduct which was brought to the forefront of the national discourse with the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles. She noted that issues of police misconduct are still pertinent today, especially in light of the recent incident involving Henry Louis Gates.

During her brief tenure as director of the ACLU of Georgia, Atlanta was named the host of the 1996 Olympics. Ellen worked with a labor committee that worked with the Atlanta City Council on insuring that Olympic workers were treated fairly. She dealt with a case in which the Ku Klux Klan was attempting to march through a neighborhood in Gainesville, GA and worked to safeguard the community. She also worked with the city of Atlanta on a curfew ordinance.

After leaving the ACLU she went to the Southern Regional Council. She worked there for eleven years as managing editor for Southern Changes as well as serving as associate director. Having long harbored the ambition to pursue a degree in advanced education, she earned her PhD in American Studies from Emory University. She wrote a book titled: Newtown Story: One Community's Fight For Environment Justice about the Newtown Florist Club.  Ellen was awarded the ACLU of Georgia Civil Libertarian Award in 2002.   Reflecting on her accomplishments, she said that she "will continue working to link civil rights, civil liberties and environmental justice."

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