Safer Internet: Keep Social Media Sort of Private-ish

Quotes

Summary

"Social" media is by its nature un-private.
"Free" services rely on collecting and selling your information.
[1] Consider limiting the info & photos that you post or share -- it's difficult to delete
[1] Don't assume 'private' messages really are; Don't assume 'secret' services really are
[1] Limit friend lists and apps
[1] Review vendors' Terms & Conditions: these are incomprehensible and changing,
and grant them broad rights to use your freely given info -- pretty much however they want
[1] Review the privacy policies & settings for each site or service you use;
{Figure 17: TCYOP-4: 143; TCYOP-3: 117}
Policies: e.g., Facebook; Google; Linkedin; Twitter
Settings: e.g., Facebook; Google+; Linkedin; Twitter
[1] Realize that sensitive info, e.g., health, financial, entered in other apps may be shared with Facebook, without your permission -- hopefully this will decrease as more of these apps/practices are exposed
[1] Don't use SSO (Single Sign On) to log into 3rd party sites using your Facebook credentials
[1] Minimize Facebook tracking of your browsing activities across the web:
on computer: use Firefox web browser, with Facebook Container add-on that isolates your browsing activities from Facebook.
on your phone: delete the Facebook mobile app and use Facebook.com only via the mobile browser.
Install a tracker blocker, like Disconnect.me, and activate the blocking.
Alternatively, you can install a private web-browsing app like Firefox Focus,
which blocks trackers by default, and only use this browser when loading Facebook.com.
[1] Beware of impostors, e.g., a sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception; catfishing is a type of deceptive activity where a person creates a sock puppet social networking presence, or fake identity on a social network account, usually targeting a specific victim for deception.
[1] Avoid providing personal details to 'fun' polls / quizzes
-- now available to marketers, and to hackers ('secret answers' for accounts)
[1] When you finally realize that the settings & privacy policies & empty promises of the major players don't actually protect you or your information, drastically minimize your usage or just deactivate / remove your account
[1] Enable 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) -- see Passwords: 2FA
[2] If you must share information with a group, switch to services that do support privacy, e.g., Slack.
The inertia of moving your family / friends / workgroup also makes this option particularly difficult
[2] Request the data they've collected about you, e.g., Facebook;
see section Who Wants Your Private Data : Companies

References

{TCYOP-4: 137-146; TCYOP-3: 115-120; Understand the Privacy Risks of Social Media: Check Your Privacy Settings; Use Other Social Media Precautions: HTTPS:, passwords, Limit your friend lists, Don't assume "private" messages really are, Don't assume "secret" services really are, Limit apps, Think carefully about pseudonyms; When Privacy Hurts}
sections: Refs: Dating; Facebook; Genealogy, DNA Testing; Instagram; LinkedIn; NextDoor; Parler; Tiktok; Twitter
topics: GDPR,
Wikipedia: social networking service: Facebook; LinkedIn
Wikipedia: Cyberbullying; troll; revenge porn
HowStuffWorks: What is a social networking site?
HowStuffWorks: Top 10 Things You Should Not Share on Social Networks
HowStuffWorks: What are the pros and cons of social networking sites?
HowStuffWorks: Why do people share embarrassing information online?
AARP: Social Media TEK (Technology Education and Knowledge) Center
Ethical.Net: Social media; Conferences & Meetups; Team collaboration
How to Use Discord: A Beginner's Guide Wired; 6/3/2024
How to Close the Social Media Accounts of a Dead Relative LH; 1/3/2024
What is Bluesky? Everything to know about the app trying to replace Twitter TC; 11/14/2023
Is Social Media Addictive? Here’s What the Science Says. NYT; 10/25/2023
Try Topical Alternatives to Social Media TB; 10/18/2023
11 Social Media Platforms You Probably Forgot Existed (And Why They Failed)
Orkut, Google Buzz, Google+, Friendster, Ping, FriendFeed,
Vine, Periscope, Path, Yik Yak, Yahoo! 360; MF; 9/20/2023
How the Social Media Wars Will Change the Internet NYT; 7/15/2023
The Five Best Twitter Alternatives LH; 7/5/2023
Threads, Instagram's 'Twitter Killer,' Has Arrived NYT; 7/5/2023
An overview of Twitter alternatives, including Mastodon, Bluesky, and Nostr, and how they might evolve and improve
6 months after Elon Musk's takeover; TD; 4/28/2023
The Future of Social Media Is a Lot Less Social mostly brands and influencers; to restore a sense of community, some users are trying smaller social networks; NYT; 4/19/2023
The best Twitter alternatives worth checking out TC; 1/27/2023
Is Your Future Distributed? Welcome to the Fediverse! e.g., Mastodon; TB; 1/27/2023
Stop Using Social Media Apps. The Web Version Is Often Better Wired; 12/31/2022
The Great Delusion Behind Twitter: The Town Square NYT; 12/11/2022
A profile of iNaturalist, a not-for-profit social network that uses an ML algorithm
to help users identify plants and animals, driving cooperation and consensus NYT; 12/9/2022
A Journey Into the Misinformation Fever Swamps
disinformation and misinformation on social media; NYT; 8/26/2022
This site exposes the creepy things in-app browsers from TikTok and Instagram might track InAppBrowser.com; Verge; 8/19/2022
Instagram and Facebook Could Track Everything You Do in Their In-App Browsers TB; 8/15/2022
The Least-Awful Social Media Sites for Anyone Who Wants to Be Less Unhappy
MeWe, WT.Social, 500px, Discourse, etc.; LH; 7/6/2022
Truth Social Review: Trump's Uncensored Social App Is Incomplete
app is inundated with phony accounts and features that don’t work. It also hides some posts, including those with curse words; NYT; 4/287/2022
Steps to Simple Online Security: Lock down social media accounts;
Digital security for online dating and sexting NYT; 4/22/2022
How to Stop Doomscrolling -- With Psychology Wired; 3/30/2022
How to Set Healthy Boundaries Around What You Share Online Wired; 3/26/2022
AARP-backed social network looks to lure older users from Facebook
Senior Planet Community focuses on shared interests, discourages off-topic political rants; Ars; 3/23/2022
Trump's Truth Social has been almost entirely inaccessible in its first few days due to technical glitches, a 13-hour outage, and a 300,000-person waitlist WaPo; 2/23/2022
Trump's Truth Social Is Poised to Join a Crowded Field
hard-right alternative to Twitter; NYT; 2/18/2022
How to Beat Social Media Algorithms (and Why You Should Try)
Don't confirm the algorithm’s assumptions;
Eliminate suggested feeds when possible;
Use platforms without your account when possible;
Use a burner account; LH; 1/17/2022
Can We Have a Meaningful Life in a Virtual World? David Chalmers; NYT; 12/10/2021
He Conceived of the Metaverse in the '90s. He’s Unimpressed With Mark Zuckerberg's. Neal Stephenson; NYT; 12/13/2021
Apple's Privacy Policy Cost Snap, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube an Estimated $9.85 Billion in Revenue
Apple's App Tracking Transparency policy; Giz; 10/31/2021
The First Amendment in the Information Age
podcast; transcript; Yale; 10/4/2021
A look at content moderation on Clubhouse, where discussions have included homophobia, anti-Semitism, harassment, and the like, as media increases its scrutiny Bloom; 1/26/2021
MeWe: Fast-Growing Alternative To Facebook And Twitter Finds Post-Trump Surge 'Messy' NPR; 1/22/2021
6 Privacy-Focused Alternatives to the Apps You Use Every Day Signal for Messaging; Firefox for Web Browsing; DuckDuckGo for Search; OsmAnd for Maps; ProtonMail for Email; Jumbo for Social Media; Wired; 12/13/2020
How Trump's presidency has changed the internet from fueling conspiracy theories to forcing social media platforms to reexamine their content policies; Atl; 10/30/2020
How Facebook and Other Sites Manipulate Your Privacy Choices dark patterns; 'Privacy Zuckering': when “you are tricked into publicly sharing more information about yourself than you really intended to; Wired; 8/12/2020
What Is Randonautica Really About? NYT; 7/31/2020
Vet Your Social Media before hitting like or retweet on a post about the protests, it’s important to know that the accounts you are following are trustworthy; NYT; 6/17/2020
Let's Go Through Trump's Terrible Internet Censorship Order, Line By Line Spoiler: you can't nationalize Twitter; Verge; 5/29/2020
Finally, There's a Social Network Without Any People Botnet; MB; 2/13/2020
Why Is Social Media So Addictive? Giz; 2/10/2020
You’re probably more susceptible to misinformation than you think 1/10/2020

Dating

Best dating apps/sites CNet; 8/31/2023
When Romance Is a Scam NYT; 3/27/2020
30% of US adults say they have used a dating app or website up from 11% in 2013, with 12% saying they found a long-term relationship via online dating; Pew; TC; 2/6/2020

Facebook

Wikipedia: Facebook
HowStuffWorks: How Facebook Works; Myths; Quiz
HowStuffWorks: How to Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings; Is Facebook sharing your personal information?
for Messenger, see section Talk and Chat Privately
Facebook Change Ensures Tracking by Preventing URL Stripping TB; 7/19/2022
What to Know About Facebook's New 'Privacy Center' LH; 1/20/2022
How to Recover When Your Facebook Account Is Hacked
there's only so much you can do;
Scenario 1. You let a family member or friend 'borrow' your Facebook account on your computer or phone;
Scenario 2. Someone uses your photo and name and sets up a new account;
Scenario 3. Someone guesses your account password and proceeds to lock you out of your account;
Verge; 12/7/2021
How to Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account Wired; 10/11/2021
Leaked documents reveal the special rules Facebook uses for 5.8M VIPs
"These people can violate our standards without any consequences."; Ars; 9/13/2021
It's Time to Switch to a Dummy Email Address on Facebook leaked when they're set to private; LH; 4/21/2021
Facebook Doesn't Need Your Real Phone Number LH; 1/26/2021
How Facebook Can Slow QAnon for Real NYT; 9/21/2020
Facebook Has Been a Disaster for the World major ways that authoritarian regimes exploit Facebook and other social media services:
organize countermovements to emerging civil society or protest movements;
frame the public debate along their terms;
let citizens voice complaints without direct appeal or protest;
coordinate among elites to rally support;
aid in the surveillance and harassment of opposition activists and journalists;
NYT; 9/18/2020
Use These Tools to Delete All of Your Old Facebook Posts LH; 6/4/2020
NSO Group Impersonated Facebook to Help Clients Hack Targets MB; 5/20/2020
How a Digital Ad Strategy That Helped Trump Is Being Used Against Him NYT; 4/28/2020
How to Stop Bots From Sending You Facebook Friend Requests LH; 1/25/2020
Change These Facebook Settings to Protect Your Photos From Facial Recognition Software LH; 1/21/2020

Safer Internet: Keep Social Media Sort of Private-ish

Quotes

Summary

References

Dating

Facebook

Genealogy, DNA Testing

Instagram

LinkedIn

Mastodon

Metaverse

NextDoor

Parler

Tiktok

Twitter / X