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January 2008
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CAMPUS NEWS |
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SOC Media Expert Testifies at Facebook Privacy Hearing
Facebook, the preeminent social networking site on college and university campuses, came under fire in November 2006 for its use of a system that tracks user activities on third-party sites. The Beacon advertising system takes data on what users do and purchase on the external sites, and then sends it back to Facebook. Its reach also extended to nonusers, as well as individuals who had deactivated their accounts or were not signed on to the site. When users realized their privacy was being violated, an uproar ensued and Facebook publicly apologized for its use of Beacon and committed to allowing users to deactivate the system. However, because of the privacy issues at stake, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initiated an investigation into digital marketing practices. American University SOC professor Kathryn C. Montgomery, an expert on media and online marketing, was asked to testify before the FTC regarding her views on the situation. Facebook’s decision to curb the use of its Beacon marketing feature is a step in the right direction, Montgomery testified, but more needs to be done. “Facebook should be commended for the decision to change some of its marketing practices in response to user backlash and consumer group pressure. But the slight alterations the company has made in its Beacon program will not address the much larger and more troubling privacy problems raised by the site’s new digital marketing apparatus,” Montgomery said. In the past three years, social networking sites like Facebook have emerged as college students’ preferred mode of communication with their friends and classmates. On these sites, individuals create profiles for themselves to then share their information, photos, activities, and even changing moods with others. Revealing personal information is part of the fun; it serves as a great way to make connections with both friends and strangers. However, most users don’t expect their information to be shared with third-party vendors without their explicit consent. Montgomery’s testimony before the FTC, along with the testimony of several consumer advocacy groups, has pressured social networking sites to implement restrictions on the amount of information available to a number of online marketers. “Facebook and other popular social networks have ushered in a new era of behavioral profiling, data mining, and ‘nanotargeting’ that will quickly become state of the art unless additional consumer and regulatory interventions are made,” added Montgomery. “These practices raise particularly troubling issues for teens, who are increasingly living their lives on these sites and are largely unaware of how their every move is being tracked. The Federal Trade Commission and Congress need to take a very close look at Facebook and other online platforms, and develop rules for ensuring meaningful privacy protections.” Montgomery is an expert on digital media and their effect on teenagers. Her new book, Generation Digital: Politics, Commerce, and Childhood in the Age of the Internet, examines the numerous ways digital media have influenced today’s youth. She has served as the president of the Center for Media Education and led the way for the congressional passage of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. -Tara Sherwin | |||
