Today, the Orlando Sentinel has implemented a new login system that ensures your privacy in posting online comments is DEAD, and your comments can be linked to your name on other accounts you have.
-At one time I was a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and I follow news related to consumer data privacy issues. Yes, I know you think I spend all my time reading County budgets, but when I am bored, I read about data privacy!
Today, I tried to post a comment to an article on the Orlando Sentinel website and they no longer use their own login method, but force you to select one of several social media login accounts. Thus, you can't use any method except clicking and using your existing, or new account on Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
The sentinel is even offering a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to get people to use the new system.
This is an extremely risky practice, because Facebook, for instance, has been pummeled in the press THIS WEEK for having...
POOR security over member data, and NOT asking member permission before sharing their data with other social media systems. Basically, Facebook (and the others are following their lead) makes running changes in their software to expand user connections and SHARE info without bothering to explain it to members. Thus, all of a sudden, comments you make on Orlando sentinel after signing in with your Facebook account may be used to provide advertisers with data to provide you ads, or the data could show up in searchable databases linked to your real Facebook account.
Some leading technical people are closing their Facebook accounts because birthdates, etc are being shared by Facebook, and not always with your permission. For instance, just this week, articles disclosed that Facebook implemented some new data "sharing" procedures with Microsoft, Pandora (music selections) and another website, Yelp (that posts recommendations for local businesses) WITHOUT MEMBER PERMISSION. Now, you may think that is useful, but forget privacy. Thus if you accidentally visit a Facebook page and it is for something that may embarass you (like a Gator fan watching Seminole fan pages), that info could be shared with some site you never know about, because Facebook has the attitude that they "just do it" and you have to know to go to your member settings and disable that data sharing.
HERE is one article on Facebook privacy problems this week.
Here is another article about Facebook privacy problems
Just this morning, I found the NEW settings for the above data sharing, and disabled it. The problem is that this stuff could turn up anywhere, and you are not asked first if it is ok to share it. And, the next site could re-share your data to others.
So, for instance, you think that freedom of speech is important, but suppose you make a comment on an article about Democrats. Did you expect that data to be then shared with Twitter or Facebook and used to place ads on your web pages or turn up in searchable databases accessed by an employer? it could happen.
So, either be REALLY cautious about what you enter on Twitter, Facebook, etc and know that the Orlando Sentinel is putting you in the middle of this by forcing you to use one of those memberships to login to provide comments on the Sentinel articles. They clearly are looking at your comments as a revenue producer, and do you want that?
As for me, I won't ever make comments again on the Sentinel's website - by sharing info, it can be taken out of context or used for purposes that are not disclosed. This new method means you cannot be private with your comments and the data could show up somewhere else and affect your employment, credit, etc. Under the old system, you could enter an honest comment without your name, but that is no longer the case.
And, if you have kids or elder relatives who don't understand these issues, you need to tell them. Your kids could end up providing data that is picked up and shared among these networks for all types of purposes. It could later affect their ability to get into college, locate employment, etc. because they made some comments that were then shared, might show up in a searchable database (did you know Twitter has a search feature, and people can search on a topic or your name and find your tweets).
Right now, if you go to www.search.twitter.com and search on "Tavares, Florida" , you will find posts from a Leesburg student with lots of four letter words. Twitter picked his comments up from Myspace postings. He posts a YouTube subject that is a video of a girl he says is in his class and it shows her waving her bottom in underpants.
That is what is going on in these networks, and the Orlando Sentinel is linking your online actions to those SEARCHABLE systems without explaining these privacy risks.
Unfortunately, the tech types who develop these systems believe that all data should be free and shared so advertisers can use the data.
Be warned.
Vance Jochim
