Facebook Policy Primer

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Facebook Policy Primer Key features and related issues of the terms of use of Facebook. By Sophie Galati

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Key features and related issues of the terms of use of Facebook.

Transcript of Facebook Policy Primer

Page 1: Facebook Policy Primer

FacebookPolicy PrimerKey features and related issues of the terms of use of Facebook.

By Sophie Galati

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What is Facebook?

A free social networking service.

Where you can create your own personal profile.

Allows you to easily interact with friends and family online.

Used for sharing content, posting status’, instant messaging.

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Facebook users must agree to certain terms of use.

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Did you read the terms of use of Facebook when you joined?

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Did you read the terms of use of Facebook when you joined?

It’s likely that you didn’t.The majority of Internet users admit to not

reading the terms of use of online platforms or services, simply because they are boring or

difficult to understand (Smithers, 2011).

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These concerns relate to Internet politics and power and include:

Ownership of Content Privacy Surveillance Censorship Freedom of Expression

This presentation will summarise the key features of Facebook’s terms of use and

the concerns that they raise.

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Ownership of Content

A significant concept discussed within Facebook’s terms of use is the:

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When you upload content to Facebook, it becomes Facebook’s property.

It is their property until you have deleted it.

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When you upload content to Facebook, it becomes Facebook’s property.

It is their property until you have deleted it.

Unless, of course, your friend also has a copy of the content.

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“…transferable, sub-licensable, royalty free, worldwide license…”

What exactly does

mean?

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This means that Facebook can license your content to others for free without obtaining your approval (Delsack, 2012).

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Privacy

Facebook’s terms of use should rightfully spark concerns about

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Even if you consider yourself to be private online, that doesn’t mean others can’t and won’t share your

information.

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“We receive information about you from your friends and others, such as when they

upload your contact information, post a photo of you, tag you in a photo or status update, or at a location, or add you to a

group…”

In Facebook’s Data Use Policy, the following is stated:

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So, even if you feel in control of the content you yourself share,

You should also be aware of the information that Facebook receives about you from

others.

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To ensure a more increased privacy, you should utlise Facebook’s privacy settings to manage who can see the content you

post and who can contact you.

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“Sometimes you will not be able to select an audience when you post something.

This is because some types of stories are always public

stories.”

However, even if you are cautious or attentive with your privacy settings, Facebook’s terms of

use includes the following statement:

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“Sometimes you will not be able to select an audience when you post something.

This is because some types of stories are always public

stories.”

However, even if you are cautious or attentive with your privacy settings, Facebook’s terms of

use includes the following statement:

Therefore, you should always be careful about what information you choose to share.

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Facebook no longer allows users to be “unsearchable”

A recent change to Facebook’s privacy settings means that all users can now be searchable on the site.

Luckily, only content that users have publically shared will be available to those outside of their network (Wagner, 2013).

However, if you desire to be almost completely private on Facebook, it is no longer possible.

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A main concern for privacy is Facebook’s reliance on advertising.

“Online marketers and other Internet companies seek to profit from the Internet’s unique ability to track the comings and goings of users, allowing for more focused and therefore more lucrative

advertising” (Zeller, 2006).

With a social network as popular and comprehensive as Facebook, it is no exception for this sought after profit.

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“…we may use the information we receive about you to measure or understand the effectiveness of ads you and others see…”

This snippet from the terms of use raises questions that maybe Facebook doesn’t really care about our privacy?

Social networking sites don’t just focus on individuals, they predominantly focus on making a profit from turning user data into trends and patterns (Stoddart, 2007).

This insufficient lack of care for individuals extends from a lack of care of their privacy.

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Surveillance

Surveillance can be referred to as “a focused attention to personal details aimed at exerting influence over or managing the objects of the data” (Lyon, 2002).

This is a significant mode of governance in information societies and exists among Facebook.

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“We receive data about you whenever you interact with Facebook, such as when you look at another person’s timeline, send or receive a message, search for a friend or a Page, click on, view or otherwise

interact with things, use a Facebook mobile app, or purchase Facebook Credits or make other purchases through Facebook.”

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“We receive data about you whenever you interact with Facebook, such as when you look at another person’s timeline, send or receive a message, search for a friend or a Page, click on, view or otherwise

interact with things, use a Facebook mobile app, or purchase Facebook Credits or make other purchases through Facebook.”

So, pretty much everything you do on Facebook, even the simple act of searching for something, is under surveillance.

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Information Facebook is probably collecting from you:

Name

Age

Gender

Email Address

Photos

Videos

Tags

Profiles you

look at

Who you chat to

Relationship status

Likes

Political affiliation

Which websites you visit

Anything you

purchase with

Facebook CreditsIP address

GPS location

Favourite movies, music, books

(Couts 2012)

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Censorship

The notion of surveillance can lead to the related issue of:

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“We also impose limitations on the display of nudity. We aspire to respect people’s right to share

content of personal importance, whether those are photos of a

sculpture like Michelangelo's David or family photos of a child

breastfeeding.”

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In theory, this is a beneficial term of use for Facebook users as it:

Limits the risk of sharing pornographic content, Restricts immoral and illegal content, such as

child pornography. Regulates the sharing of content that can be

harmful to Facebook’s broad audience.

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This has however led to undeserved censorship.

(Ravelo, 2012).

Erik Ravelo’s artwork was censored by Facebook and he has been prevented from uploading more images.

The controversial nature of the artwork about issues plaguing children is assumed to be the reason for its censorship.

The artwork does not feature nudity, pornography and isn’t threatening, which raises questions about the amount of power and control Facebook is exuding.

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the freedom of expression

The censorship on Facebook can raise concerns about the related issue of:

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Freedom of Expression

The Internet offers a great opportunity for users to easily make their thoughts and opinions available to a large audience (Fisher, 2001).

When analysing Facebook’s terms of use, this opportunity isn’t necessarily obtainable.

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“You will not post content that is hate speech, threatening or pornographic”

(Safety, #7)

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Users are not free to post whatever they please.

In most cases, this is for the benefit of all other users, creating an appropriate and safe network.

It can still be said that the limitations within Facebook’s terms of use and its resulting control can undermine a user’s freedom.

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In conclusion, the key features of Facebook’s terms of use:

Ownership of content As soon as you upload content to Facebook, it

becomes Facebook’s content as well. Facebook can do with it as they please.

Privacy Your information can be received from others as well

as yourself. Facebook’s dependence on advertising has

empowered them to collect data from users, disregarding their privacy.

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Surveillance Facebook keeps track of your Facebook activity.

Censorship There are limits on what you can and cannot post. Facebook has the ability to remove content that

they believe goes against their terms.

Freedom of Expression Users are not free to share anything they want.

There is content that is prohibited. This can be beneficial, creating a safe and

appropriate network for all users.

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I hope that this presentation has helped you to better understand Facebook’s policies and how it affects you.

The key features of Facebook’s terms of use policies evidently raise concerns that involve all users

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References

 Couts, A. (2012) Terms & Conditions: Facebook's 'Data Use Policy' Explained. Retrieved 12 October, 2013 from: http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/terms-conditions-facebooks-data-use-policy-explained/  Delsack, C (2012). Who Owns Photos and Videos Posted on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? Retrieved 12 October, 2013 from: http://www.nyccounsel.com/business-blogs-websites/who-owns-photos-and-videos-posted-on-facebook-or-twitter/

Facebook. (2012). Facebook Terms and Policies. Facebook. Retrieved 8 September, 2013 from: www.facebook.com/policies. 

Fisher, W. (2001). Freedom of Expression on the Internet . Retrieved September 8, 2013, from The Berkman Center for Internet & Society: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/ilaw/Speech/ Lyon, D. (2002) “Everday Surveillance: Personal Data and Social Classification.” Information, Communication and Society 5, no. 1 Retrieved from: http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/cyberspace/lyon_ics.pdf Ravelo, E. (2012) “Fast Food.” [image] Fabrica. The Untouchables.

Stoddart, J (2007) Privacy and Social Networks. Retrieved 9 October, 2013 from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7gWEgHeXcA&feature=player_embedded

Smithers, R. (2011) Terms and Conditions: Not Reading the Small Print can Mean Big Problems. The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October, 2013, from: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/may/11/terms-conditions-small-print-big-problems

Images have been screen-shot from Facebook.Surveillance image is from Microsoft’s clipart collection.