In the News
Are your online actions still permanent actions? In Facebook now let’s everyone unsend messages for 10 minutes, Josh Constine at TechCrunch discusses how Facebook has now made it possible for users to delete their sent messages within a 10-minute time frame using the “Remove for everyone” tool. Constine explains that this feature has rolled out in part because of Mark Zuckerberg’s previously deleted messages with other Facebook executives.
Our Take
Although Facebook’s new unsend feature allows you to delete messages after they were sent and potentially even after they have been read, one should still exercise caution when sending content through digital messaging platforms. As with other forms of social media where content is only available for a short window of time, users get crafty and use methods such as screenshots to preserve evidence of communication and its contents. This feature does present the issue of preserving documentation as seen in the case of Zuckerberg’s messages. If individuals can delete their messages, there is less transparency around what conversations took place and what was discussed within such conversations. While this may not be a big concern for the standard social media user who messages their friends and family, this could cause issues with more professional forms of communication. When in doubt, utilize more permanent forms of communication is preserving records is of importance to you.
Recommendations
How can you protect the privacy of your personal information on social media?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Be aware of default settings on social media platforms that automatically back up photos, files, messages, and other potentially sensitive information to the Cloud. Use privacy settings when they are available
- Use safe password practices, and take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication where possible
- Know your rights when it comes to data use and storage
- Refrain from sharing highly sensitive information through messaging apps and services