In the News
How private is your social media data? In Twitter says government demands for user data continue to rise, Zack Whittaker at TechCrunch discusses the frequency of Twitter account data requests from governments. Whittaker explains that in six months of this year, Twitter complied with half of the 7,300 requests for data. Whittaker furthers that the US and Japan lead the charge in governments requesting account data.
Our Take
Social media platforms have become a place where endless user data is shared and communicated to hundreds or thousands of other people. The information that you share in your account or post in your feed is owned in a sense by the platform and as global communication increases and social media continues to be used to communicate political and personal ideas, governments become interested in the data stored by these platforms. While governments may have valid reasons for requesting this account data and Twitter seems to be selectively choosing what data requests to comply with, it is important for social media users to acknowledge the fact that Twitter or other platforms can share your information with outside entities including governments. While governments are only likely to request data for valid reasons, understanding that the information that you share on social media platforms whether in your account or your feed is not really yours to keep and you do not have the last say in where all of the data might end up.
Recommendations
How can you better protect your personal data when using social media platforms?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Use safe password practices when creating online accounts, and take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication where possible
- Utilize additional security/privacy measures and settings on apps, accounts, and platforms whenever possible
- Limit the number of accounts that have access to your financial payment option
- Use privacy settings on your accounts when they are available
- Know your rights when it comes to data use and storage