Should Facebook friends be made aware of your wall privacy settings?

October 21, 2010 · 15 comments

Twitt

Yesterday I made the following status update that was available for ‘everyone’.

As you can see, friends made comments on this status. Their views were then available for the world to see.

This is the key question that is crossing my mind; should I be telling my friends that they are making public comments?

There are a whole host of related issues such as:

  • Facebook’s responsibility to make privacy issues clearer
  • The public’s understanding of what truly is private in the realms of cyberspace
  • The differences in usage and deemed ‘correct practice’ between friends and social circles
  • The ‘control’ a Facebook user can hold due to misunderstanding between users, or differences in Facebook knowledge

Another example would be if I were to make my friends’ wall posts visible to everyone. Wall posts can be changed from private to public like the flick of a switch. The same questions apply, so it would be great to hear your views on the following:

Do you think it’s the responsibility of a user to make their friends aware that comments will be public?
Do you think there are any other related issues not mentioned above?
Which 80′s rock/pop star should I dress up as?

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Tagged as: facebook, privacy, social media

  • Carli_smith

    It is a really interesting point and certainly one I have never thought about! We all know the importance of making our own walls private or visible but few think about their friends. I have made sure that my profile is private and most things are hidden (including my status updates) until I have confirmed you are a friend. I personally would think that people are aware of the risks themselves by commenting – there is always the possibility that it is visible to everyone so I don’t think that it is the repsponsibility of the user. In terms of which 80′s rock/pop star……Adam Ant I think….then you can use face paint and glitter!! :-)

  • http://twitter.com/chrisbunney Chris Bunney

    I’d never thought of that before.

    I think most people are used to controlling privacy on our own profiles, but it’s so easy to overlook privacy relating to stuff we post on our friends profiles, over which we have no control.

    I’ll definitely be thinking more carefully about what I post on other people’s items from now on

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    I would like to think that most people understand the risks too but I’m really not sure. There are a vocal few using social networking sites that claim that privacy is too complicated for the average Facebook user, but then Facebook have also come out with survey results suggesting that their privacy changes have been welcomed by users.

    I’m of the opinion that just about anything that is posted on the internet in not private – it is out there. Thanks for suggesting that the responsibility lies with anyone making a comment, and not the user. If some of my friends end up annoyed at my decision to make status updates public, I will call on you for backup!

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Thanks Chris. With 500 millions users, there must have been a few cases of users being extremely annoyed with friends for sharing their conversations with the world?! This must happen – I just never see it.

  • http://www.juusmedia.com/ Jason Stanley

    I suppose it’s not something I think about very often when posting on friends walls. In general I’m not too fussed though as I wouldn’t imagine I’d be talking about something that private on a public wall in the first place.

    I think we’re also seeing a shift on privacy at the moment and with a new generation of users logging on that have only known a life with the internet it’s not surprising it will change. Currently it seems to be the older generation more concerned with what’s on show or what’s hidden.

    Oh and go as 80′s Michael Jackson. It will be a thriller.

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    I agree that there is a general shift in attitudes towards privacy through the younger generation. As you said, they have grown up with it and this is what’s considered normal. Of course there are exceptions.

    Your suggestion has been thrown into the mix and is probably leading the way, just edging out Freddie.

  • http://www.facebook.com/daleGmoore Dale Moore

    Very interesting and important points raised Rob. Facebook is indeed quite a powerful and flexible platform and is becoming more so the more popular it becomes. I don’t think many users are aware of the subleties of the privacy settings or that their comments are viewable by all Facebook users.

    I think Facebook does a reasonable job in promoting the various privacy settings and the help file is quite comprehensive, but then again, how many people actually read help files? It’s also incumbent on the user (the signer upper to the service) to properly evaluate whatever it is they’re using. So I guess it’s a bit of both though ultimately, the onus in on the user to make sure they understand ‘how the thing works’.

    Jason makes a good point about not mentioning anything too private in public. Well, you wouldn’t – would you? You can opt to send a friend a personal message from within Facebook if you’re that concerned. And of course, if it’s really private, there’s always the telephone isn’t there? Remember those? Face to face? No, now I’m just being silly!

    80s pop star? How about Jo (shut-uppa-you-face) Dolce? He was a bit of a one hit wonder but he did manage to keep the mightly Ultravox off the top spot. I think Midge Ure is still looking for him! I blame the record buying public. Oh er, don’t read anything into the ‘one hit wonder’ comment Rob.

    Heck, is this public?

  • Nibby01

    It doesn’t bother me at all, I would never put anything private on anyones wall or on a tweet, and I think that most things put on the net are for public use anyway….apart from this comment….I know this is private, right Rob? ;-) Nice post btw, and Adam Ant everytime.

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Yep, this is public Dale – the words you have typed will never be erased – let the fear start now ;-)

    I agree with your point about the onus being on the user to understand ‘how the thing works’. I think I understand Facebook to a rather geeky level, so I know how comments can instantly be switched from private to public by someone else, but I still think there should be something on status updates (or somewhere on the wall) which shows exactly how public or private a new comment will be. I just think that would be fair for users.

    Someone once said to me that if you want something to remain private, then don’t ever write it down. This person isn’t really up to speed with modern communications but her words still hold true – private messages on Facebook can be read by Admins, text messages can be read by service providers, emails can be forwarded on beyond control. Again, do people understand this?

    I might have to Google Jo Dolce as I’m not quite sure who you’re talking about!

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    This is so private you just wouldn’t believe it. I have even outwitted Google on this one ;-)

    I’m pretty glad that those who left comments don’t seem to be fussed that they were public – they understand the score – what a cool crowd we are!

    Thanks for your suggestion too. Yesterday, Freddie was leading the race, today is has been Jacko. Your suggestion has come up three times now but it’s the long lasting glitter effect that is putting me off!

  • http://www.facebook.com/daleGmoore Dale Moore

    Sorry Rob. Sometimes I forget how young you are. Or how old I am! It was a truly dreadful song but easy to sing and no glitter required :-)

    Check it out on:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Dolce
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFacWGBJ_cs

  • Anonymous

    Hi Rob,

    In answer to your question: I’d be surprised if any of your friends thought that the comments they make on your status were private between you and them.

    All the best,
    Sam

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Hi Sam,

    Thanks. I would have thought that most of them knew that friends and networks have access, but wandering if they knew that anyone in the world with access to the internet could also see them.

    Just seen your retweet about the whole Wayne Rooney saga – now, I would definitely not want to express my FULL opinion on this matter over the internet. Best saved for a pub conversation ;-)

    Rob

  • http://www.jedlangdon.com/ Jed Langdon

    Hi Rob,

    Sorry it has taken me so long to comment on this. I have been meaning to for some time, but wanted to give it the time and attention the topic deserves.

    “Do you think it’s the responsibility of a user to make their friends aware that comments will be public?”

    This is a really interesting question, but after pondering it for a while I would say that it is not the responsibility of the user to make their friends aware that comments are public. I believe that most of us would look out for our friends and make them aware that their comments are public, if we saw them post anything that is grossly inappropriate or that may harm them in any way, but I wouldn’t say we have a responsibility to do so.

    What I think is a far more interesting discussion, is whether Facebook themselves should take a higher ethical standpoint and make greater efforts to teach people about protecting themselves online?

    Obviously Facebook is covered from a legal standpoint, as when a user signs up they tick to say they have read the terms and conditions. After a quick look through the Privacy policy in the terms and conditions, I found the following line:

    “When you post information on another user’s profile or comment on another user’s post, that information will be subject to the other user’s privacy settings.”

    Knowing you I am sure that you are just as interested as I am in the ethical responsibilities of Facebook to make users more aware that what they post is going to be in the public domain – after all, who actually reads the T’s & C’s anyway? For me, with Facebook being the global brand that it is now, they should be making more of an effort to protect and inform their users. I won’t elaborate on this for now, as this has been a long enough ramble anyway, but I would be really interested in hearing your thoughts on this, perhaps even in a future post?

    Anyhoo, the most interesting question you asked “Which 80′s rock/pop star should I dress up as?”

    - It has to be either Freddie Mercury or George Michael – you’ll go down a storm!

    Cheers,
    Jed

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Hi Jed,

    No worries about the delay on the comment – I’m just grateful when anyone comments! They are normally more interesting than the post itself ;-)

    Facebook and ethics is a very large subject! I can completely understand the viewpoint that Facebook should be making more of an effort to educate their users about privacy technicalities, and the wider impacts which can be caused. There is clear room for improvement. I do think though that if someone signs up to a service then it is their responsibility to read and understand how the service actually works, in a similar way to signing a contract or entering into an agreement. It is a grey area – how far should any company go to educate their users or customers outside of their legal requirements?

    I’m not sure about outfit – I’m either going to hit Primark and see what is available or visit a fancy dress shop. I’m sure pictures will follow… (but not on this blog!)

    Rob

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