Top Online Privacy Concerns of Summer ’13

In the early years of social media, privacy was more of a luxury than an issue. But in recent years, people have started to catch on to the fact that their lives are easily accessible and, more importantly, vulnerable to wrongdoing.  And it’s become a pressing issue for both people and popular social media sites alike.

Still, big-name social media companies have failed to keep privacy-related promises to their customers. Facebook, Instagram and Path have all been victim of such policy infringements. And it still doesn’t seem like they have a real grasp on how to protect your online accounts.

Consequently, people are becoming more in-tune about how to protect themselves online. But they still have a few concerns when it comes to the uncontrollable rise of social media.

So, without further ado, we give you the top five online privacy concerns of the summer.

1. Educate Yourself about Privacy when Merging Your Social Media Accounts

In 2013, social media has become integrated with all of its parts. Facebook users can connect to LinkedIn. LinkedIn can connect to Twitter. Twitter can connect to Instagram. And many smaller social media platforms are taking note and connecting to the social media pipeline.

Consequently, many of these bigger social media sites will acquire these smaller firms, add their plug-ins and update to a new, cutting-edge technology. By doing so, they’ll run the risk of potentially overlooking some key privacy considerations. This is due in large part to a new company learning the ins and outs of how to operate a unique system.

So if you choose to opt in on new social media platforms, you should be aware of the fact that companies can operate without the full knowledge of understanding their latest feature. And it might cause your private data to leak into the wrong hands.

2. Single Access Sign-On Draws Security Problems

If you’re a regular user of new social media sites, chances are you’ve opted in to a single access sign-in page. Don’t worry, it’s an easy way to connect your accounts across platforms. But it does have its drawbacks.

As websites start to connect to each other, it’s just a matter of time before they start sharing information. So if you access and post something on one site, it may show your actions to its shared entities.

As of now, most companies like Facebook and Twitter ask for your permission to update to both sites when making an action. But some smaller companies could take missteps as the price of convenience. And it may come out bad for you.

3. Watch for Universal Privacy Legislation

With the release of the PRISM leaks and other social media privacy blunders, Capital Hill is taking note. They are saying there is a heightened need for privacy controls among social media websites and government entities alike.

Popular sites like Facebook and Twitter hold a mind-boggling amount of information about the people they service. And its becoming evident that privacy leaks are almost unavoidable. So look for universal legislation on privacy regulations and security to plug most of these holes in order to make social media a safe environment for all involved.

While we do have our concerns about the state of social media sharing, it doesn’t take a lot for us to commit to online privacy. We need to act now in order to protect ourselves against security and privacy risks. Otherwise, we’ll be subjected to accept whatever the top social media sites deem is enough privacy for us.

You can learn more about internet privacy issues and myths involved in the current realm of social media.