Privacy and social networking

“If you want any kind of interaction, you have to be engaged and reveal things. Privacy means having a small number of friends, but that is not really consistent with being a fully engaged user.”

So, is the price of privacy not engaging in online social networking?

No - it isn’t that radical, however the solution probably does have something to do with recognising our online behaviour and, if need be, modifying it.

Let’s face it, if it feels uncomfortable - and that is what Australians are saying - then it is probably is a good indication that we should do something differently.

Modifying our behaviour has been one of the most effective tools we have as a society in reducing risk, any where from drink driving, to giving up smoking to recycling, to protecting our environment.

We need to apply the lessons we have learnt from these successes to our online behaviour and modify that which makes us feel uncomfortable.

We need to do this because the evidence is there - none of us want to lose our personal information.

One area we already know is of significant concern is the loss or misuse of personal information, with the vast majority of people saying that this is an issue of the highest concern to them.

Of the 14 nations surveyed globally, the loss or misuse of personal information ranks as one of Australia’s highest concerns:

• in Australia, fear of ID theft has ranked consistently as the highest or second highest concern of the nation; and
• 61 per cent of Australians are extremely or very concerned about the loss or misuse of personal information;

Disturbing results given the fact that we are asked, daily, to provide personal data for a range of transactions. When we go online, it is like opening a door into our lives, our work and our homes. You can make sure you are prepared by following these simple guidelines:

• don’t post too much personal information - like your children’s photos and details of where they go to school;
• think carefully before posting material online - like holiday plans that could alert thieves to an empty home;
• make sure you know how to set privacy controls - often you are not required to give as much information as you think;
• block any user whose behaviour is, abusive, bullying or harassing you in any way; and
• report inappropriate behaviour immediately to the host website operator.

Protection of personal information is a key issue here in Australia and around the world and it will only continue to grow in importance as online social networking continues to evolve.