Facebook, Families and Privacy

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Most, if not all, of us have been following the Facebook privacy saga that has been unfolding for the past few months. Constant changes to privacy settings, from the simple to the complex, have forced many people to evaluate how they use Facebook and why.

I was a reluctant Facebook convert a few years ago after a college friend told us he would no longer update us on his wife’s pregnancy if my husband and I didn’t join. We succumbed to the pressure and signed up. At first, it was all about connecting with friends, but as a parent of two-year old, and with our extended family in practically every state except Vermont, I quickly began connecting with family and using Facebook as a tool to share photos of our little girl growing up. That’s when I first began thoroughly checking my privacy settings and carefully considering who to “friend.”

For many, Facebook is a popularity contest: how many friends can I amass and do I have more than Friend X. However, for parents with family photos, videos, or something else personally identifying on their pages, Facebook’s ever-changing privacy and information sharing rules have forced us to reconsider how we use Facebook. Last month, I jokingly told people I was going into “Facebook lock-box mode.” Worried about too much information being shared without my authorization, I began stripping down my account, deleting apps, information and even “friends” that I realized didn’t need access to my family life. The last thing I want are random people gaining access to photos or videos of my daughter. Does this make me paranoid? Have I closed my account? The answer to both questions is no. I’m just very aware of how easy it is to lose control over your personal information through Facebook. I always try to make other moms I know aware of Facebook’s changes because I know they worry too.

Facebook has attempted to simplify its privacy settings through its latest control panel revamp but unless we understand those settings and examine each one every time Facebook makes an update, we run a risk of overexposing our families and ourselves.