What Social Network Privacy?
Every social network is run by a for-profit business that makes money by convincing lots of people to sign up. Small social networks can’t compete with large social networks, so there’s a strong incentive to grow quickly.
But we know from the dotcom era and the bubble that followed it that companies quickly sacrifice ethical business practices in pursuit of quick growth.
Social network privacy is usually the first thing to go. Most social networks know that the number one reason people join is because they know someone else already on that social network. So social networks really want to advertise who uses them.
That leads to problems when minors use social networks, because the social network publishes your child’s name and photos in order to attract his or her friends—but any random stranger on the Internet can also got this information. This not only leaves the child open to identity theft with facial recognition software but also too many other hidden aspects we often overlook.
