Being ‘connected’ has become an intrinsic part of life for most of us, with obvious benefits for both work and play. But have you ever given any thought to the repercussions this might be having on your privacy?
The scale of usage of social networking has grown to an extent that was unpredictable just a few years ago. Malta is one of the most active EU countries on Facebook per capita, now with nearly 190,000 active users, and a penetration rate of 46.5 per cent, ranking fourth after Denmark (49.2), Sweden (48.4) and the UK (47.6). This means that nearly 50 per cent of all those online regularly access their Facebook profile, according to Internet World Stats.
But how many are aware of the risks involved?
Whatever you say or do online leaves your digital fingerprint in the digital public domain. This is particularly true when sharing your thoughts or images on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, but especially sensitive when also sharing your current location through Facebook Places, Foursquare, Google Latitude and Gowalla.
The more technology you plug into your life, the easier it becomes to gather intelligence about you by anyone connected like yourself, be it a friend, a prospective employer, a creditor or a burglar.
A surge in burglaries in the UK at the end of 2010 forced the Metropolitan Police to issue a warning that criminals are using social networking internet sites to plan burglaries. Officers stressed that messages, such as status posts on Facebook about going abroad on vacation, indicate that homes may be empty over Christmas and the New Year and that would leave householders vulnerable to crime.
Google Latitude takes it to a whole new level – real-time location sharing. This application installed on your mobile phone or mobile device constantly relays your position back to Google and the accuracy of your location is surprisingly accurate, even without using GPS.
Google’s tagline for the application is ‘See where your friends are right now’. This is fantastic news for your social life, but are you sure you are comfortable sharing your exact position, all the time, even when you do not specifically post it?
There is no malice meant to any of these organisations. These online services can be excellent tools for both your business activities and your social life, but it is surprising how so many users regularly share intimate details or pictures of their daily lives without much thought that such information can never be completely removed from the internet.
Always make sure to read and understand terms and conditions of use and privacy policies for sites and applications you regularly use or are about to join into. Facebook is renowned for frequent revisions to its privacy policies, so keep yourself updated with any changes.
Just apply common sense when online in the same way you do in your normal life.
Bottom line, unless you are comfortable with what you are about to post being featured in the evening news, just don’t post it!
Mr Bone is the managing director at Seasus Ltd, a local developer of web-based systems.
www.seasus.com