Anonymity just got a little bit more difficult for social media users. Facebook and Google+ have rolled out new privacy changes in their terms of service. However, there are still ways to protect your privacy on these social media platforms!
Facebook Privacy Changes:
Facebook will be removing a privacy setting that allowed people to hide their profiles from other users in Facebook’s search field. Facebook reasoning behind this was that the tool was outdated and users could be found in other ways, such as through a mutual friend’s Timeline or News Feed.
Google + Shared Endorsements
What You Can Do:
Facebook encourages users to control their privacy on a post-by-post basis. So the next time you intend to post, you should be checking to see if what you’re putting up is for public view, just for friends, or specific lists of friends.
You can consider turning on Timeline approval. This function shows you what your friends may be posting about your location or whom you’re with. You can ask them to remove your name from those posts. Facebook also has settings that let you review posts and photo tags before they’re posted to your Timeline.
If you’re very serious about privacy and want to dodge that annoying ex, you can always use the Facebook blocking tool.
Google+ Privacy Changes:
Google updated its terms of service Friday to say that beginning Nov. 11 it has the right to sell adult users’ profile names, photos and comments in reviews and advertising, according to the Wall Street Journal. Many Google users may have a Google+ account, even if they don’t use it.
“Shared endorsements” work very much like Facebook ‘Likes.’ If you rate a product on Google Play or give a +1, those actions will be visible to your connections.
For example, if you gave a +1 to your favorite restaurant, your friend might see an advertisement from that business that says you like it. Google is drawing that information from your Google+ account.
What You Can Do:
However, if you dislike being an endorsers for these businesses, there are ways to get out of it. Users can go to that link and opt out of being a part of the shared endorsements. You will run into some of Google’s guilt trips: “your friends will be less likely to benefit from your recommendations.”
For those under 18, minors can see shared endorsements, but their profile won’t be used in them. Google says that these settings only apply to advertisements and not how your profile or photo might be used in other commercial ways.
While these tactics may be a little bit more cumbersome, there are still ways to stay private. What are your thoughts on the new privacy changes for these platforms?
