Entries from April 2010 ↓

A New Jersey Middle School principal is calling on parents to ban their children from accessing social networking websites. According to CNN, the principal, Anthony Orsini, sent an e-mail to parents saying, “There is absolutely no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site! Let me repeat that – there is absolutely, positively no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site!”

The object of Orsini’s wrath was the popular social networking website Formspring.me, which allows users to set up accounts where anyone can come and leave anonymous comments. Formspring.me has been cited as a factor in a number of cyberbullying cases, including the tragic suicide of Massachusetts teen Phoebe Prince.

Check out a video of Orsini speaking with CNN below.

I would be interested to hear what parents think of Orsini’s comments, and whether or not an outright ban of social networking is something that you would consider for your children. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

A number of cringe-inducing privacy changes came out of Facebook’s f8 conference last week (most of which we’ve documented here) but perhaps the most annoying new development is the fact that Facebook is forcing users to make their profile information public through Community Pages or face having their profile stripped bare.

If it hasn’t happened already, the next time you visit your Profile page, Facebook will show a pop window for something called “Connected Profiles.” At the official Facebook Blog, Connected Profiles is described as a way to “connect to everything you care about,” but the reality is that it’s a way for Facebook to strong arm users into opening up their personal information to the world.

Essentially what Connected Profiles does is find all of the information in your profile (hometown, education, work, interests, etc.) and then uses it to ask you whether you want to “Like” each subject’s respective Community Page on Faceboook. In other words, if you live in San Francisco, you will be asked to become a part of the San Francisco Community Page. Same goes for where you work, and the movies, TV shows, and music you like.

Far from being a casual opt-in feature, however, Facebook makes Connected Profiles something more complex. If you choose not to link your interests to Facebook’s predetermined Community Pages, Facebook will wipe the information from your profile clean, leaving you with only your basic information and bio. In other words, the only way to personalize your Facebook profile with information about yourself is to make that information public.

I understand Facebook’s motivations here, but I couldn’t be more frustrated with the company’s tactics. The majority of users who accept the conditions of Connected Profiles probably didn’t even realize what they were agreeing to (it’s no surprise the pop-up window for opting in is preset with a bold blue tab saying “Link All to My Profile”). For those who did take a minute to actually read what Facebook was doing, the option is no better. If you spent a lot of time honing your Facebook profile into something that reflects your personality, why should you be forced into either gutting it or sharing it with the world?

On the other hand, as Robert Scoble explained in today’s Quick Hits, Facebook doesn’t have to change its behavior because, by and large, Facebook users aren’t changing theirs. As long as people continue to accept the kind of high pressure tactics Facebook is employing, user privacy will continue to be placed on the back burner and that’s a real shame.

By the way, when it came to my personal profile, I opted to wipe it clean. It’s not that I care that the world knows I like Batman. I just hate being forced into making something public when it should be, by default, private.

What are you going to do about your profile? Will you “get connected” or are you going to take the plunge and wipe your profile clean?

In today’s Quick Hits, we discuss the government’s limited role in regulating Facebook and a piece of major new cyberbullying from Massachusetts.

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Dallas Radio Personality Fired Over Offensive Tweet

Earlier in the week, former MLB pitcher Mike Bacsik was fired from his job as a Dallas sports radio personality for leaving a racially insensitive update on Twitter. In reference to an altercation during Game 5 of the Dallas Mavericks/San Antonio Spurs NBA playoff series, Bacsik jumped on twitter to say, “Congrats to all the dirty mexicans in San Antonio.”

To his credit, Bacsik took full responsibility for the tweet and owned up to his mistake, saying “When you tweet like that, it’s not a playful, harmless thing… If you want to do a job like this, your guard always has to be up… I learned my lesson. I’m owning up to what I did.” Many Twitter users still don’t use enough discretion when it comes to what they share online. Unfortunately, they, like Bacsik, only become aware of the problem when it affects them negatively.

Robert Scoble Wonders if the Government Can Really Regulate Facebook

In an article for Silicon Alley Insider, noted tech blogger Robert Scoble explains why it’s too late for the government to regulate Facebook effectively. Citing a number of reasons from the slow speed of government intervention to the ineffectiveness of fines, Scoble makes his best point in the article’s last paragraph.

“So, what can be done about Facebook? I don’t see what we can do about Facebook. Not enough people have changed their behaviors due to these changes. I’m watching and these features are VERY popular. Even here in Israel, far from the hype bubble of Silicon Valley, all the geeks I talked with are impressed with the new features and many are already implementing them… Zuckerberg just played chicken with our privacy and it sure looks like he won based on what I’m hearing here in Israel.”

Germany Still Steamed Over Google Street View

New privacy concerns over Google Street View in Germany have cropped up since German regulators learned that Google was “archiving the locations of household wireless networks.” The criticism, which Google recently responded to at its Official European Policy Blog, revolved around what Google does with the data and whether taking it violates any German privacy laws.

Massachusetts Cyberbullying Legislation Passes

According to the Boston Globe, a state bill focused on anti-bullying has been approved with overwhelming support from Massachusetts lawmakers. Described as “one of the nation’s toughest” anti-bullying laws, the legislation contains “broad prohibitions against any actions that could cause emotional or physical harm, including text messages and taunting over the Internet.” The bill also requires that faculty and students undergo anti-bullying training, that parents receive notice when bullying occurs at school, and that school officials investigate every instance of reported bullying.

The legislation, which was prompted by the cyberbullying suicides of two Massachusetts youths, Phoebe Prince and Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, has received support from the Anti-Defamation League and others, but is being criticized by civil libertarians who feel that the law could infringe upon constitutionally protected speech. The bill also is being criticized as a noble, but impractical measure that will be hard to enforce.

In this edition of Quick Hits, we discuss Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s real feelings on privacy and his company’s growing influence around the web.

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MLB Cracks Down on Social Media Use

Chicago White Sox player Mark Teahen recently revealed that Major League Baseball sent out social media guidelines to all MLB clubs to prevent irresponsible Twitter and Facebook use by players and coaches. Given the high profile of its players, I can understand MLB’s position. If a player does something irresponsible online, it could cost the whole league money. On an interesting side note, Mark Teahan’s twitter account is actually for his dog.

Understanding Facebook’s Privacy Changes

In an article for ABC News, Ki Mae Heussner explores the ramifications of Facebook’s recent privacy changes with input from a number of Internet privacy and social media experts. The chief issue the article raises is whether the positive benefits of Facebook’s changes (greater personalization) outweigh the negative aspects (less control over personal data). One quote from the end of the article captures the general public sentiment on this issue nicely.

Debra Aho Williamson, a senior analyst for eMarketer, says, “Sharing has become a public activity. … I think consumers are being more open about what they want to say about themselves more publicly…[but] I don’t think people are less concerned about privacy.” People are still concerned about privacy, but the real issue is control. We are willing to share our information if we’re given a say in how and with whom we share it.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg “Doesn’t Believe” in Privacy

How does Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg really feel about privacy? According to Nick Bilton’s recent off-the-record chat with a Facebook employee, Zuckerberg “doesn’t believe in it.” Bilton, who is the lead tech blogger for the New York Times Bits Blog, is catching some flack for airing the off-the-record remark on his Twitter account, but the underlying issue is more important. As Wired succinctly states, “The die has been cast: The world knows that a Facebook employee thinks his CEO ‘doesn’t believe in’ privacy, which should scare the bejesus out of anyone with a Facebook account — and that encompasses just about everyone reading this now.”

Social Media Analytics Company Klout Receives $1.5 Million in Funding

Reflecting the growing importance of social media technology on an individual or business’s “influence,” the social media analytics start-up Klout recently received a $1.5 million round of Series A funding. Last month, ReputationDefender CEO Michael Fertik touched on the growth of these kind of companies in his response to Michael Arrington’s TechCrunch article saying that in the future,

“more detailed and nuanced Personal Scoring will appear and will dominate the existing scoring offerings like FICO. Everyone likes a nice tidy number that concretely summarizes the value of something (credit-worthiness, a stock price, a zip code, how many followers you have on Twitter, how many unique users you have on your website), and personal scoring will be just as prevalent, widespread, and, in many cases, life-affecting.”

50,000 Websites Like Facebook’s Like Button

Since unveiling its Open Graph social plug-in, Facebook’s “Like” button has been implemented on over 50,000 websites. With that kind of adoption rate within only one week, it seems like Facebook is well on its way to achieving its plans for web domination.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Google Street View, the relative merits of Facebook’s Open Graph, and the passion of Canada’s privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.

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Google Explains How It Collects Street View Information

In response to ongoing criticism over its Street View product, Google issued a response on the company’s Official European Public Policy Blog explaining how Google uses the information it collects from Street View and why Google believes that this information does not affect an individual’s privacy rights. According to Google, the company only collects photos, local WiFi network data and 3-D building imagery.

Should Facebook Moderate Anti-Obama Groups?

All Facebook poses an interesting question about free speech on Facebook. Citing several groups that advocate for the death of President Obama, Nick O’Neill writes that the group crosses the line. However, in the comments of the article, people rightly suggest that there are other groups on Facebook advocating for the death of former Republican presidents. Should Facebook remove this material as well?

Facebook is rapidly approaching 500 million users. Even if it were in the company’s interest to closely regulate content (and it’s not because more content means more space for advertising), it would be difficult for Facebook to respond to every issue. To this end, the best thing you can do about hateful groups on Facebook is simply not join them.

Profiling Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart

Whether she’s knocking down Facebook’s walls over the company’s constant privacy changes, criticizing Google over Street View and other programs, or regulating telecommunications companies in her own country, Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart is respected the world over for her efforts in protecting consumer privacy. This article from The Globe and Mail details how Stoddart has transformed Canada’s privacy advocacy efforts over the last seven years and some of the successes she has had thus far.

Italian Judge Made Legal Error in Conviction of Google Execs

According to The Register, Elvira Berlingieri, an Italian legal expert, has determined that the Italian judge who sentenced three Google executives over privacy violations made a legal error that will allow Google to reverse the decision on appeal. The specifics of Berlingieri’s reasoning are somewhat technical for the non legal-minded, but what her argument boils down to is that the judge applied incorrect sections of Italian privacy law to the case.

Is Facebook Better for Publishers Than Google?

Many have complained about the privacy implications of Facebook’s new Open Graph technology, but, according to Ben Elowitz at the Huffington Post, from a publisher’s perspective, Open Graph is a good thing. Elowitz believes that user-recommended content will be more valuable in driving traffic compared to basic Google searches, explaining that “content sharing favors well-authored, branded experiences, which contrasts with the Google referral engine which favors “relevance” to a search phrase based on a mathematical algorithm.”