Social Networking Websites, Data Mining and Hackers

Every user of every/any social networking website(s) are exposing themselves to a much higher personal data privacy risks than if they were not users. For that matter, every user of any company e-commerce website as well; perhaps not quite as great depending on the encryption.

People need to consider the *perceived* benefits of using social networking and decide if these *benefits* exceed the security risks. Many people still decide it is worth joining and using SN sites. I say *decide* but really I think most people don't give it a lot of thought when they want to Facebook. I am using this one...I have made a conscious decision to be a careful member of a couple of social networking websites even though my work as an information professional makes me more aware of the *risks* than average Joe.

My profession also makes me very aware of the extent certain risks are somewhat mitigated by privacy and data protection laws. These laws makes it illegal for companies and persons to use my personal data in particular manners. Even *knowing* that - does it really stop any of them? Probably not.

Laws have never really be able to protect people against the actions of other people who are prepared to break them. There are reams of reports on the crimes based solely on personal data taken Directly from social networking sites! (never mind mentioning last weeks "Facebook Murderer") ... so the law alone is obviously NOT the answer in the world of personal data security on the Internet. What actually worries me the most is that NO country on this globe has yet to provide any seriously strong coherent and logical legal framework to control any of the below:

1. Commercial trading of personal data IE: the selling of email addresses, names and physical addresses, phone numbers, etc...

2. A full "life time ownership" of one's own personal data including the prevention of their retaining of your data after members leave their social networking websites! IE: You close your account - they KEEP your data!

3. The commercial aggregation of personal data from multiple sources over time.

4. SN sites as well as e-commerce sites require their users to agree to a sub-standard "privacy agreement" and/or "terms and conditions" policy. These policies may or may not include specific "opt in" or "opt out" clauses. These policies will generally attempt to make some or all of the data actually "owned" by the social network site itself rather than by the user! It's always in that *fine print* that no one ever really reads. Do you?

Once each SN site has gotten this obscure vague permission from their users (YOU) to release YOUR personal data to other entities the sites are then in a position to trade personal data. Kind of like slave trading.  Data Traders.  This makes for billionaire Spam-Kings, Corporate Giant Trading..there is no end; skies no limit, only the imagination to what can be done.  Once you have 4+ million people on a website such as the famous "Facebook"....

Think about it!  So you think well, "I'm no target.  I don't put anything in there that I don't want to be *public*."  If you think this way, you have missed the point entirely.

In the end, an entity that has no direct relationship with a Social Network site can end up with an aggregated view of personal data from a multitude of SN sites. Billions of peoples data of all sorts, flavors and colors.

At the moment there's very little that SN site (and e-commerce site) users can do to control these "behind the schemes" data flows involving their data.

Now if THIS doesn't get to you I don't know what will:

There's no legal requirement for sites to disclose details of the partners they trade with in your  personal data.

They do not provide their customers (users -YOU) with specific controls over which trading partners they do or do not want their data given to.

They do not provide YOU with any specified control over which internal staff roles are able to see and modify their data.

They do not provide their customers (YOU) with a view of who has accessed their records/data.

They do not correct any informational data that has been either entered incorrectly, changed or updated or corrupted by them during or after transfer to a third party.

They do not recall data from these third parties if YOU chose to leave their site.

These are the main things that concern me.  There is NO established and/or practical method of knowing what's being done behind the scenes with YOUR personal data.

...JUST THINK OF THE RAMIFICATIONS....

NOTE: SIDEBAR:  http://  <---not safe       https://   <---safer

Don't EVER ever give out ANY data unless the site you are entering begins with HTTPS (S) <----the S being the key. Without that S - meaning secure socket layer; you may as well spray and pray.