Have You Read the _____ Privacy (Data) Policy Lately? [@BreakDrink Episode No. 10]

In a past @BreakDrink episode [no. 5], we thank/blame Chris Gilliard (@hypervisible) for bringing awareness to how some higher education institutions are digital redlining learners with technology. For a repeat visit to the podcast, we asked Chris to join Jeff & I to dig into the issues of privacy, access, data, etc. by reviewing the “Privacy Policies” and Terms of Service for the three main hitters for social media we see used in the US: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Here are some links and notes from our conversations and review of said policies from Monday (6/19). Take a listen and be sure to REVIEW+ADJUST YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA SETTINGS NOW! Or, just delete your account. 🙂

Privacy Apps and Search Engines to install to protect your privacy & browsing/tracking online:

• Privacy Badger blocks spying ads and invisible trackers c/o the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Ublock Origin – remove the clutter not the content + app
• DuckDuckGo – a search engine that does not store or give away your personal information. Ever.
• StartPage – search the web in a private way; a private search engine
• Google Incognito Browser – a.k.a. “Porn mode” – does not track your information but does hold your IP

Go on. Search one of the above search engines and compare your results for yourself. We DARE you!

Privacy image c/o Flickr User g4ll4is

Net Neutrality & Digital Rights

• Questions asked about Net Neutrality (about) and browsing history was shared on a recent episode as Senator Ron Wyden discusses what we need to know about digital rights on the @NoteToSelf podcast. We need to know what decisions Congress is tackling on Internet Privacy Rules. (Pssst… Congress overturned this.)
• @HBO’s Last Week Tonight is where John Oliver discusses Net Neutrality and there’s a Net Neutrality, Part II recently shared in May 2017 to follow-up from the original episode you should watch and learn about.

TOS & Policy 101 on the Social Web

When was the last time you considered reviewing a policy OR the terms of service (TOS) from your favorite social network? With the recent changes to “privacy” on a few of our favorite platforms, we thought it was an apt time to read and review the TOS for all of you. You’re very welcome. As a number of colleagues, learners, and friends in higher ed use (and repurpose) these social spaces for teaching, learning, and research — we wanted to really understand how these technology (not media) companies are thinking about  “Privacy” (or now called “Data” for certain platforms) and the policies around this issue. Here are SOME of the notes from our chat — please visit @BreakDrink Episode no.10 for more at BreakDrink.com

Facebook

• Overview of the Privacy Policies on & TOS on Social from June 2016 via Wired
• Facebook Privacy https://www.facebook.com/about/terms-updates
• Facebook Terms & Policies https://www.facebook.com/policies
• Multiple hoaxes have been posted and shared about Facebook privacy settings
• Ironically the “Privacy” policy has been changed to read “Data” Policy per the change in URL https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy <= It was “privacy” before… SEE!
• Default setting for Facebook privacy = Open to EVERYONE; you must check EACH time this is updated or modified; The updates default you into the “public” setting from 2009 onward
• Facebook’s Eroding Privacy Policy: A Timeline via EFF (2010)
• The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook via
• Matt McKeon items began to get indexed and searchable of you on the web from Facebook changed in 2009 and 2010
• Top 10 companies owned by Facebook: Instagram, Whatsapp, etc.
• PSA: Facebook IS public. We repeat: FACEBOOK IS PUBLIC regardless of WHAT your privacy settings are; “the nature of these platforms is that they are extractive… their entire goal is to mine… data.” @hypervisible
• The Facebook Business Model = DATA => Your data, are in the app or not, can be turned around and sold.
• If we’re going to give Facebook our data, they should do something good with it.

Twitter  

• Change May 18, 2017; Update effective June 18, 2017
• Twitter’s Update to their Privacy Policy:  https://support.twitter.com/articles/20174594
• ALL social media buttons (Twitter, Facebook, etc. share buttons) track your web browsing patterns. YES. This happens even without you sharing from this page/site.
• PREVENT online tracking and targeted ads on social media. E.g. Facebook is one of many tracking
• Surveillance Capitalism via Shoshana Zuboff, i.e. these social media platforms are extractive = take data to monetize that now or later
• Americans’ Attitudes About Privacy, Security and Surveillance via the Pew Internet Research (2015) group
• Pew Internet (2016): Privacy and Information Sharing only slightly difference for caring what is online
• Princeton’s Web Transparency & Accountability Project specifically how the public can get informed and take action

LinkedIn  

• Changed on April 18, 2017; Update effective June 7, 2017
• Update to LinkedIn’s TOS https://blog.linkedin.com/2017/april/10/updates-to-our-terms-of-service
• LinkedIn Privacy Policy https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
• Check out the “Do’s and Don’ts” list for the privacy; this social media site/network is one of the few who offers protection against protection, harassment, pyramid schemes, trolling, spam, etc.
• READ: The LinkedIn Professional Community Guideline — this needed to PREVENT challenges in online networks, e.g.
  • Catfishing: Romance Scams Continue And I Really Need Your Help via @courosa when someone else takes your identity online
  • Mis-Identity: No, You Can’t Use My Photo for Your Fake Identity, and No, I Can’t Prevent It via @cogdog 
• The @LinkedIn Transparency Report is the only one among these networks, i.e. that is requests for access from a government agency
• Government Data Request for member data on LinkedIn
• Visibility on LinkedIn – it is a choice and you need to MODIFY this now => Click on both the “Privacy” and the “Communications” section of this privacy setting to change WHO can see WHAT in your LinkedIn Network specifically for updates & activities to your account

We might be paranoid, but perhaps we need to consider the data we are sharing and what “true” privacy is when we are online. We thought we’d leave you with a few “light” reads (enjoy):

1. The Thin Line Between Commercial and Government Surveillance 
2. How an obscure rule lets law enforcement search any compute
3. Intel agencies want to make the most controversial foreign surveillance rule permanent

@BreakDrink Podcast Shout Outs

• The Show About Race now archived, but a relevant conversation we need to have about race. Always.
• Missing Richards Simmons – what happens when the fitness guru from the 80’s disappears from teaching his Slimmon’s class
• Mystery Show (archive): “A podcast where Starlee Kine solves mysteries.”
• Twice Removed (archive): “A new family history podcast hosted by A.J. Jacobs. They say we’re one big family: this is the show that proves it. You will be filled with delight… or abject horror. You never know. It’s family.”

@BreakDrink Reads & Watches

• American Gods TV series
• Platform Capitalism by Nick Srnicek
• No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need by Naomi Klein
• How to be Black by Baratunde Thurston

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