In the News
First Facebook, now Twitter: social media data sales to outside companies continue to threaten user privacy. In Twitter Sold Data to Cambridge Analytica-Linked Company, Lindsay O’Donnell analyzes Twitter’s selling of public user data to Cambridge Analytica and the implications of such action. O’Donnell identifies the degree to which public data can still be personal data, and also acknowledges the competing interests of social connection and privacy.
Our Take
One of the human tendencies that both social engineers and advertisers rely upon is people being unable to see the forest for the trees. We often consider minor statements or details that we share in a vacuum, and do not recognize the way that those details can be aggregated to build fuller stories that we DIDN’T share–and that we may not wish to.
Technology has gotten amazingly good at collecting massive amounts of data and sifting through it quickly to discover patterns; you may not have told Twitter that you are allergic to peanuts, but if a friend DMed you last year to avoid the brownies at the party, you posted a month ago about your trip to the hospital for steroids, and you clicked today on an article about homeopathic anti-histamines, you may start to notice a lot of advertisements for Epi-pens showing up on your timeline. It’s not a coincidence.
Recommendations
So how can you protect your personal information?
- Think about what you post on social media sites like Twitter where users’ posts are public–anyone can see the things you post, share, or like
- Be especially careful to avoid posting information that you use as answers to security questions
- Utilize the privacy settings on your social media accounts when applicable