Facebook is changing its privacy policies at the beginning of the new year.
As usual, everyone’s wondering if they should be worried about it..
When it comes to Facebook, the answer is usually yesbut not for the reasons most people think.
Facebook is no stranger to scandals.
With 1.3 billion users, it’d be hard not to attract some false information.
(Remember all those times we were worried Facebook would start charging for access?)
However, knowing there’s a problem and identifying it are two separate things.
Today, we’re breaking down specifically why Facebook’s approach to privacy is so scary.
Facebook Erodes Your Privacy Regardless of Policy
Privacy policies change regularly.
If this seems like a familiar dance, that’s because it is.
Users are understandably upset.
Facebook “simplifies” its privacy tweaks in response.
Privacy on Facebook is still complicated.
Sometimes these new, less private features come shortly after the privacy policy itself has changed.
Often, however, they don’t.
In fact, Facebook changes how its privacy options behave far more often than the policy itself.
Which means that Facebook doesn’t need to ask permission every time it wants to try something new.
After a decade of changing policies, you’ve already given enough permission.
We use sarcastic quotes because the challenge waslaughably unwinnable.
Theydid not meet that threshold.
Because the company couldn’t getnearly three Super Bowlsworth of votes, the option disappeared.
And therein lies the problem.
Facebook largely sets its own rules for what its rules are.
No data was completely public.
This trend of taking information you intended to be private and turning it public never really stopped.
Paired with Facebook’s policy ofno fake namesand this made it very hard to have a private Facebook experience.
Facebook is frequently used to access to other web services.
It also has access to a wide variety of permissions on your phone.
While this can make it very useful, there’s virtually no accountability for how that data is used.
Take phone permissions as an example.
As we’vetalked about before, an app needing permissions doesn’t necessarily indicate that something nefarious is going on.
For instance, when Facebook Messenger came out, there was some concern about how many permissions it had.
However, both Android and iOS lack the ability to distinguishwhichfeature you’re giving permission to.
Android users have to accept permissions wholesale.
iOS is only slightly better.
If you’re worried about which permissions Facebook is asking for, how you react depends on your platform.
(And in the meantime, you canuse the Facebook mobile sitefor a somewhat less intrusive experience.)
And Facebook hasn’t always proven itself to be trustworthy.
However, this isn’t a problem inherent with Facebook itself.
It’s a problem with us.
Distractions and procrastination existed long before the internet.
We’ve talked a lot abouthow to defeat distractionsand get your work done.
In fact, Facebook can even be useful.
As we’ve discussed before,Facebook groups are excellentat helping you organize people and events.
Taking breaks during your workday is also helpful for relaxing your brain, as long as youkeep it limited.
What Facebook does show you may not be as much of a problem as what itdoesn’tshow you.
This might not seem like that big of a deal on its face.
However, while most people were upsetthatthe test was conducted, the results of the study were more noteworthy.
Now, chances are that your feed isn’t going to be subject to an experiment.
However, much likewith Google, your usage of the site can create a self-reinforcing feedback loop.
The problem with this may be more subtle, but it’s still important.
Your perception has a hugeimpact on your reality.
And let’s not forget themanipulative effect of advertising.
Not all of this means Facebook is evil, of course.
But it does mean that you have to understand thatyour feed is an illusion.
Even if it’s not intentional.
