Evaluating social media privacy settings for personal and advertising purposes

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to define two types of privacy, which are distinct but often reduced to each other. It also investigates which form of privacy is most prominent in privacy settings of online social networks (OSN). Privacy between users is different from privacy between a user and a third party. OSN, and to a lesser extent researchers, often reduce the former to the latter, which results in misleading users and public debate about privacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors define two types of privacy that account for the difference between interpersonal and third-party disclosure. The first definition draws on symbolic interactionist accounts of privacy, wherein users are performing dramaturgically for an intended audience. Third-party privacy is based on the data that represent the user in data mining and knowledge discovery processes, which ultimately manipulate users into audience commodities. This typology was applied to the privacy settings of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The results are presented as a flowchart.

Findings

The research indicates that users are granted more options in controlling their interpersonal information flow towards other users than third parties or service providers.

Research limitations/implications

This distinction needs to be furthered empirically, by comparing user’s privacy expectations in both situations. On more theoretical grounds, this typology could also be linked to Habermas’ system and life-world.

Originality/value

A typology has been provided to compare the relative autonomy users receive for settings that drive revenue and settings, which are independent from revenue.

Citation

Heyman, R., De Wolf, R. and Pierson, J. (2014), "Evaluating social media privacy settings for personal and advertising purposes", info, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 18-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/info-01-2014-0004