The Take on Tech

Facebook implemented new privacy settings last week to complement the new ability to “instantly personalize” certain websites.

Where the new Instant Personalization setting pops up (under Privacy Settings, click to enlarge)

Unfortunately, the new option is an opt-out function which means that users may have to be vigilant about unchecking the option.

Moreover, just unchecking the option may not be enough. Information about someone can still be transmitted to various other applications through that person’s friends. Applications can gather information that is available publicly on one’s profile (usually things like name, profile picture, networks, etc) simply through one’s friends.

To block all information from disseminating via this option involves blocking three applications as well: Yelp, Microsoft’s Office, and Pandora.

Facebook’s inclusion of a new opt-out privacy option is unsettling; assuming that users want their personal information disseminated to other parties apart from Facebook is hardly comforting, especially when that information can be disseminated through a user’s friends even if the user does opt-out.

The opt-out option (click to enlarge)

Luckily the information that is gathered is not likely to be very private. Nonetheless, it drives home a very important point: the best advice when it comes to posting information online is that no information on Facebook is truly private. Imagine all the information that is on Facebook to be like personal decorations in a workspace.

You still need to block applications to prevent friends from giving out information

Although the information on there may be personal, it should not be assumed to be private.