The founders of Instagram were approached by Facebook in early 2012 regarding an offer to buy the then newly created company.  The price offered:  $1 billion.  It took a while, but in September 2012, just before Facebook went public, the sale was finalized in the amount of $750 million. Instagram’s founders and its few employees couldn’t be happier about this deal, but did they realize that it was about to become a privacy fiasco for the thousands of people who had photos posted to the site?  Shortly after the acquisition, a new policy was put into place that says Facebook has the right to sell any or all of the 5 billion-plus photos that were posted on Instagram’s site.

Just 3 months after Intstagram’s purchase by Facebook, on January 16, 2013, a new policy regarding photos was put in place.  Starting on that date, Facebook has the right to sell any photo that was posted on Instagram without paying, or even notifying, the users who posted those photos.  If you read the updated policy and deleted your Instagram account before January 16^th, this was the only way you could have stopped the sale of your photos.  However, if you didn’t read the update and your account with Instagram was still active as of that date, you are in danger of your photos being sold.  Instagram users certainly weren’t happy about this detail.

What all this means is that if you use Instagram to post photos and did not delete your account before January 16, 2012, you could be facing a huge privacy concern.  Any photos that you posted on Instagram after the effective policy date can be sold to any advertiser and used in any way.  You could be on your way to work or school one morning and see a photo of you and your friends partying at a local bar up on a billboard advertising that bar.  Or maybe the billboard is for a beach resort that you visited and the photo is of you lying on the beach in a very skimpy bikini.  Another possibility is that you could be skimming through a magazine in your dentist’s waiting room and see a print ad featuring you and your friends standing in front of the newest casino.  Would you be shocked at any of this?  Would you be even more shocked to know that everyone involved with creating this ad, except you, will be making money off of your images?  Does this sound like a good deal?

The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has taken notice of this new policy.  “It’s asking people to agree to unspecified future commercial use of their photos.  That makes it challenging for someone to give informed consent to that deal.”  That was a statement issued by Kurt Opsahl, Senior Staff Attorney for the EFF.

Since it is unspecified what types of photos can be sold and used, the policy leaves an endless amount of possibilities.  Any type of business, hotel chains, cruise lines, airlines, bars, restaurants, etc., can purchase your Instagram photos from Facebook without asking you for consent.  Your photos can be used in brochures, television commercials, print and Internet ads…any kind of advertisement that the purchaser sees fit.  And because there is no limit on the types of photos used, your kids can be in danger.  One day, you may see a billboard of your kids running around on a beach used to advertise the kid-friendly resort you visited last summer.

If you want to avoid all this but didn’t delete your Instagram account before January 16, 2013, you can still delete your account to regain some control over your privacy.  However, keep in mind that any pictures you posted to Instagram after January 16^th up to the date your account was deleted can still be sold since there is no language in the new policy that protects those photos. 

The Promote and Share feature is the latest money making idea to come out of Facebook.  This feature allows one of your Facebook friends to promote one of your posts by sharing it on their news feed.  So if you post about a new baby, job promotion or anything else, all a friend needs to do is click on the “Promote and Share” button to get your word out.  Of course, this isn’t free “advertising”; there will be a $7 fee for each “promote and share”.  This is causing a lot of concerns about privacy because no one can opt out of this feature and anyone can Promote and Share without permission from the original poster.  Even though Facebook says this feature will work with the original poster’s privacy settings, it’s still something to worry about.

The reason Facebook came up with this new feature is because they claim there was a demand for it.  They have said that this feature is beneficial to all because it allows users to share good news posted by their friends so that this news can be moved to the top of the newsfeed.  This will allow other friends who may have missed the original post to share in the excitement of that new baby, house or job.

Facebook issued a statement as follows:  “This feature respects the privacy of the original poster – i.e. it will promote to everyone who originally saw it.  You can only promote posts to the people that your friend originally shared with.  If you have mutual friends, they’ll see that you shared it and promoted it.”  If this is the case, then why would someone pay $7 to share a post that any friend could simply scroll down to find?  Yes, this feature is beneficial, but in my opinion, it’s really only beneficial to Facebook’s pockets.

Sure, there are people who will take advantage of Promote and Share.  They realize that many friends don’t have the luxury of spending all day on Facebook and statuses do get buried way down in the newsfeeds.  With Promote and Share, they can know that more people will have a chance to see the post since it will be moved up to the top of the newsfeeds.  I don’t know why anyone would pay $7 for this, though, when all anyone has to do is scroll down to see earlier posts, or visit a friend’s wall to see if there is any new developments in their pregnancy, job search or other special event.   

The age of social networking is upon us.   There are so many on-line areas where people can meet new friends and reacquaint with old ones that it’s hard to choose which one to sign up for.  That is why so many of us have accounts with several sites.  MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook are thriving with members in the millions all over the world.  These are the places we connect professionally and personally.  They are where family and friends who live far from you can see photos of the new baby.  These sites are amazing!  But, if a child is left alone on these sites, the results can lead to disaster.

When you have young children, you teach them to never wander far from home and to never talk to strangers, yet many parents don’t warn their children about the dangers of wandering the Internet alone.  This must be done because using the Internet is a big part of any child’s life if he or she is in school.  The Internet is used for studies, but what about when the kids are done studying for the night?  Parents need to learn where the danger lies and monitor Internet use so they can teach their children how to surf the Internet responsibly.

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and others have a minimum age for their users of 13 years old.   At 13, kids are curious, but they don’t have the maturity to make good judgments when it comes to many situations.  They feel that nothing bad can happen to them; it only happens to others.  Lately, in the news, it’s been demonstrated how tragic events can happen to innocent kids that started off as simple Internet posts.  Kids need to learn that some people they play on-line games with are strangers and should not be allowed to know about their lives.  There are many parents who feel there is no harm in allowing their child to play games like Cityville, Castleville or Farmville, but do these parents know who their children’s “neighbors” are?  Do parents realize that kids can go to the on-line gaming community to find “neighbors” from all over the world?  Every day, kids are “friending” strangers; these strangers are most likely adults.  If you warn your kids about strangers in real life, why not warn them about strangers in the virtual world?

In the 60s and 70s, parents were said to have a “live-in babysitter”…the television set.  Now, in 2012, parents no longer use the television as a babysitter; they use the computer and social networking.  There is a huge problem with this:  on-line, anyone can be what they want to be!  A 13 year old girl can claim to be 21 and an aspiring actress, a 14 year old boy can claim to be a 30 year old doctor and a 56 year old man can claim to be a 16 year old.

In the 1990s, the chat rooms of America OnLine were the place to be.  Technically, a person was supposed to be 18 years old to be able to access the adult chat areas and no one over 17 was supposed to access the “teen” areas.  Well, remember that on-line, you can be anyone you want to be.  There were teens in adult areas and adults in teen areas.   I worked with a person whose husband enjoyed “playing head games” with teenagers.  This was a 46 year old man who made two profiles:  one was a 16 year old girl and the other was a 16 year old boy.  When he went on line as the 16 year old girl, he would chat with the “other girls” about such private things as their dating habits and how they were coping with PMS.  When he went on-line as the 16 year old boy, he would try to pick up the young girls.

This man’s wife thought this was very “amusing”.   She would come to work and talk about how “clever” “Joe” was to be able to fool these kids.  What he was doing was wrong on a lot of levels, but one of the most disturbing facts of this was that this couple had a 16 year old daughter.  This is how he was able to talk to the girls about cramps and other problems of PMS; he learned from his daughter.  I once asked my co-worker how she would feel if a middle-aged man would talk to her daughter like this, she had no response.  She also had no response when I asked how she would feel if her husband got caught up in an FBI sting for pedophiles.  After a while, she stopped mentioning “Joe’s” on-line adventures.  I don’t know if he stopped or if she just realized it was not something to be proud of.

As mentioned before, social networking sites have a minimum age of 13 years old.  That does not stop the kids from lying about their ages.  In fact, many parents help their kids make profiles showing that they are 13 years old or older.  There are many kids I personally know of who are 10 or under who have their own Facebook pages.  They tell their parents that all of their friends have pages, and the parents give in.  It’s an old trick, but it still works.  The account is set up and the kids are left to explore.

All over the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there are millions of people signed on to Facebook.  They are there to keep in contact with family and friends.  They also use this social networking giant to find childhood friends they haven’t seen or heard from in years.   When there is any type of celebration…a birthday party, a wedding, birth of a baby…Facebook is where the pictures and videos are posted so friends and relatives far away can be a part of it all.  There is something you need to remember:  once published, those pictures and videos are public property and can be used without your permission.

Think about the photos and videos that you or your friends have posted.  Can any of them come back to haunt you years down the line?  That picture of you at a frat party, dancing around half naked could pop up as part of an advertising campaign years later.  Imagine being a CEO of a large corporation and one day, noticing the snickers of your employees as you walk by.  Could they have just seen you at your drunken worst as a Facebook advertisement?

Facebook is now a publicly traded company.  What this means is that their main goal is to make the largest profits ever to keep their current stockholders happy and to interest new investors.  Selling of user information to third parties is one of the ways that Facebook plans on making larger profits.  Along the side of your page, there are several different advertisements, each with the comment “Like this page”.  Some even have a notation that one or more of your friends “Likes” the products or companies, which is supposed to entice you to also “Like” them.  Well, each and every “Like” is registered by Facebook, who will, in turn, place that advertisement on the pages of your friends who haven’t already “Liked” that product.  With every “Like” that you click on, hundreds of people are being targeted for that particular advertisement.  Now, multiply that by the millions of users around the world!  If the information of all these people is sold for, say, $1 each, the profits would be huge.  Then, add in all of the new Facebook users that sign up daily.

Whenever you “Like” something, you are endorsing that product or company.  You are letting your friends know that you are going to purchase the product, are interested in purchasing the product in the future, or that you are a frequent shopper at that particular store.  Soon you will see that the pop-up advertisements on the right side of your Facebook page are mostly for products or stores you “Like”. 

Are you one of those people who are addicted to posting status updates on Facebook?   “Vacation time again!  At the airport now.  Catching flight to Paris in 15 minutes.  Only hours away from two weeks of touring the French countryside!”  If you have ever posted an update similar to this, you need to read further.  Posts like this have led others to big trouble, and you could be next.

Millions of people use Facebook daily; however, very few of them bother to set their privacy preferences.  This means that friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, co-workers and everyone else can see what you post.  Not only can they see your comments and photos, they can also read your profile that tells them all what city you are currently living in and where you work.  Now that you have told the world that you aren’t home, a simple search will turn up your address.  That status update may as well have said, “I’ll be away for a couple of weeks.  The key is in the potted plant next to the back door.  Feel free to take whatever you want.”

Vacation time isn’t the only instance where status updates can get you in trouble.  There are many people who like to vent and rant about problems or gossip in the workplace.  If you comment on your boss’s habit of taking his secretary out for extra long lunches every day, or about your co-workers’ inability to do their jobs, or even your habit of bringing home some office supplies, you could be in for a very unpleasant work environment.  In this time of high unemployment, some companies have started asking employees to give all of their social networking sign-on information to the Human Resources department.  Illegal you say?  Well, it’s completely on a voluntary basis.  Just be aware that if you don’t do it, you may find that your position has been eliminated due to “budget cuts”.

That being said, let’s discuss that vacation again.  You land in Paris and take a cab to your hotel.  You’re greeted at the front desk, where you give your credit card information and ID to the clerk.  Your bags are taken up to your room by the bellhop and you decide to order room service so you could enjoy the view while dining on your balcony.  You’ve only been in Paris a couple of hours and already there are many strangers who know your name, what you look like, how long you will be staying at the hotel and your credit card information.  Are you familiar with the backgrounds of all of these people?  Facebook is popular in France, too.  Your name could be searched and your post about “Going sightseeing all day tomorrow” will let anyone at the hotel know you won’t be in your room for the day.  Did you ever think about how many people could have access to your room when you are out?

I woke up this morning and put on the news.  I was just in time to see traffic and weather, after which I got ready to walk my dogs.  Just as I was about to leave, the TV again caught my attention with one of the more frightening news stories I’ve heard in a while.

It seems that RedPepper Labs, a development group, has come up with what I think is the biggest threat to our privacy to date:  Facedeals.   This is a system that is used to check people in when they go to their favorite businesses.  Facedeals works by face recognition and is linked into your Facebook account.

FourSquare is a service where you can tag yourself to any area.  Facedeals works a bit like this, only you don’t have to do anything but walk in the door.  A camera placed at the entrance scans each customer, and you are automatically tagged to that location.  Using Facebook’s API (application program interface) it uses your Facebook “Likes” in order to offer you a deal on selected items.

One redeeming factor is that you must approve this app through your Facebook account before it can be used to tag you.  Once you approve it, a recent photo of you is scanned so the software can recognize you.  Then, each time you visit an establishment that is equipped with the cameras, you will be tagged and offered available deals per your Facebook “Likes”.  These deals will be sent to you via your cell phone.  Your “Likes” are saved, so you are offered product discounts and services wherever you go.

These cameras could be used anywhere because the only things required for use are a WiFi connection and a wall outlet.  Currently, this technology is being tested in Nashville, TN, where RedPepper is located.  RedPepper representatives state that they are looking into expanding the territory soon.

It’s hard to say how popular this “big brother” technology will be.  Only time will tell.  Many people may not want their comings and goings broadcast like this.  Imagine being followed by cameras everywhere you go, and then have each shop you visit know the products you like before you even walk through the door.

Personally, I will not be signing up for this any time soon.  I would rather keep my private life private.  I don’t think any “deal” offered to me would be worth giving up my privacy like that.

This is just one example of how your privacy could be compromised.  To get tips and suggestions on keeping your Internet privacy safe, please take a few minutes to download the free Internet Privacy Guide at the top of the page.

Are you willing to give up your privacy to Facedeals?

The “Download Your Information” tool was first introduced by Facebook in 2010. This was used to retrieve all users’ videos and photos, wall posts, sent and received messages, and about 5 other categories of information that users uploaded. Downloadable as a .zip file, users were able to make a back up of what they have previously uploaded to the social networking site.

Privacy issues about Facebook’s access to private information and its advertising services prompted critics to ask the company to improve the tool. They urged the company to let users know of other information that it stores about them in its database. The aim is for users to become conscious of how much data they have shared so that they could have more control over it.

There are high hopes that by the end of 2012, consumers will enjoy the benefits of tighter online privacy rules. This optimistic view is based on recent positive responses by companies to adopt the final recommendations set forth as best practices in privacy protection. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is confident that by backing tighter online privacy laws, consumers’ data will not be abused. Instead, consumers can enjoy new services without sacrificing their privacy.

At this time, companies are already working to include privacy into every project that they have. Focus is given on how people’s data is kept safe and to control how much is collected. As part of consumer empowerment, they should have the option to decide what information about them is being shared. This can be made possible if there is a “Do Not Track” mechanism that consumers can use to control the tracking of their activities.

What good would tighter online privacy rules give to consumers? The basis of all these discussions is the fact that there have been many privacy violations. Consumers do not exactly know that they are being tracked online. They also do not know that their personal data is collected and either directly used or sold to other companies. Most of all, consumers do not know the ways that they can protect their privacy.

Will users ever recognize the value of privacy by giving away personal information for free? Experience and observation would tell that many users readily give up privacy in exchange of a few cents that is not worth a candy bar. Research results indicate that over and above protecting their personal information, users put more value on saving a few cents. It seems that only data mining companies have figured out how to make money out of it.

It is estimated that Facebook now holds personal information that is worth about $100 billion. This includes the chatting, browsing and buying habits of millions of the social networking fans. Users who never appreciated the value of their personal data willingly uploaded it. Analysts say that the present trend shows personal data being traded among service providers just like any other commodity. Service providers can make thousands of dollars out of the information that users have given up for “free”.

There are about 800 million Facebook users around the net. With this staggering number, it is safe to say that this social networking giant is really becoming a household name. These users are from different groups – according to age, profession, online preferences, or even reasons for joining. This internet giant has drastically changed the lives of these people. In fact, many of them could not let a day pass without having shared pictures, posted comments, visited digital links, and so much more.

The pressure put on those who still refuse to join the social networking phenomenon is really strong. Whether they are technophobes or privacy advocates, these people are not spared from the draw to conform to what others are interested in. There were those who, for many years have continued to resist, but are now hooked on making more and more “friends” every day. Actually, they admitted that they should have known of the benefits of having a social networking account way earlier.