Facebook, privacy and security
Tuenti is a very popular Spanish social network similar to Facebook. I use the example of Tuenti in this text, but the underlying reasoning is valid in general terms and applies to another web services.
I know Facebook and Tuenti quite well. I’ve got a Facebook account that I use almost everyday and I’ve also been on Tuenti until recently. I’m the kind of user that goes through all the configuration options when joining a new service and tweaks everything to its liking. That’s why it surprises me so much when I know of people that own a Tuenti account but stay away from Facebook due to security and privacy concerns. They should know their behavior doesn’t make any sense.
The relatively widespread thought that since Tuenti is an invitation-only website, personal data is hence “more private”, better protected or more safely stored, is just wrong. Not only Facebook implements some specific security features such as secure browsing (HTTPS) or account activity logs —whereas Tuenti doesn’t—, but also a huge amount of privacy settings that let you fine-tune every aspect of how all your data is shared with others, from personal information such as name or studies to tagged photos or status updates.
Let me put one simple example that illustrates these differences between Facebook and Tuenti. Do you want to hide the pictures in which you’ve been tagged from everybody, including your friends, so you’re the only one who can see them? Well, you can do that on Facebook, but not on Tuenti: your friends will inevitably be able to look at every picture in which you have been or will be tagged, no matter what you do.
So in conclusion, Facebook is as safe as most social networks —or even safer— and offers way more control over privacy than many of them, including Tuenti. You just need to go to your account settings, take some time to read all the options and adjust them to your taste. If you’re not willing to spend half an hour doing so, perhaps you’re actually not that concerned about your privacy.
Finally, the obvious solution: if you really are that worried about privacy and security of your personal information, don’t join this kind of websites in the first place —or do it with a false name—. It’s that simple.
