Sunday, October 27, 2013
The "I agree button" dilemma
Do you remember clicking an I agree button when you signed up for Facebook a few years back? How many times did you click that I agree button for social media websites without even glancing over the terms and conditions? Well, let me tell you that most of us clicked the same exact button without even getting an idea about what we are agreeing to. However, I actually took the extra time to read through the terms and conditions for Facebook during my spare time after having a conversation about it with my friend. So basically the I agree button on Facebook states that Facebook is not responsible for any misuse of your personal information posted on Facebook, any information you willingly post on Facebook even when privacy settings are up is considered public information and you are at this point giving up your right of personal privacy to it. Because imagine how many times Facebook could be sued if it did take responsibility of the information posted by millions and trillions of humans everyday. We all realize this information actually even without reading the terms and conditions, however, we never really take it seriously. Please do not think you are protecting your personal pictures and posts about your life when you switch that privacy button to "friends only", "it take a third grader" like our classmates mentioned during their presentation to break into your page and use that information. So very boldly that means that do not have the right of privacy to your information and neither the ability to protect it and it gets even worst when Facebook gives up on you whenever that information is misused. So think about how many I agree buttons you clicked and how that could be jeopardizing your privacy and ability to take control of your information? How many times did you do it willingly? Were there times you did it because you had to and why? Think about any other examples where I agree buttons could be jeopardizing our privacy and personal information?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You make a good point. When we click on these buttons we just want to get through with the process and not read through what we are agreeing with. I admit that I have done this several times with many sites that I have create a profile with.
ReplyDeleteI admit that I have clicked that button many times without reading the conditions as well. However, I am always careful with what I post online. I'm fully aware that, even if I have privacy settings engaged on my accounts, that information is still accessible to anyone truly wanting to see it. If I wouldn't want someone else reading the information, I don't post it. I don't believe we should live in fear of this privacy invasion, but I believe everyone should be a little more cautious about what they post online.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the "I agree" button I must say I'm a victim to clicking the button without reading the content you are agreeing to. Privacy is a big thing that should be taken into consideration when subscribing to any kind of website. Recently I had a friend who's information was stolen online due to the lack of privacy on the website. My friend entered some confidential information and by agreeing to the terms if the website, his information was shared publicly inclusion his social security number. After the incident occurred, I realized that before agreeing to the terms if a site, a person just read on what they are agreeing to, preventing any type of information being publicly made. In grade school I learned that if you are going to enter confidential information, make sure the URL carries an "s" to notify the user that the site is secured.
ReplyDeleteI don't trust the protection of privacy on internet in general and social network sites in particular. However, still "I agree" without even looking! It's such a careless habit with great potential consequences. I've reduced my subscriptions greatly to only needed sites, which are still a lot unfortunately. Thanks for sharing, Rana!
ReplyDeleteTriet Pham
It took me a while before I started reading the terms and conditions of things online. My father always told me to read anything before you agree, and like any teenager I ignored it. I signed up for Myspace, facebook, and who knows what other sites all by clicking the "I Agree." Finally I listened and started to read the agreements, and I was very surprised. Since then I have stopped posting a lot of information on social media sites just because I cannot control who views it. In some instances it would be nice to post something to Facebook to let my friends know what is going on, but I cannot stop undesirables from viewing the info so I keep it to myself. It's pretty funny to think that Facebook has you agree that they're not responsible for the misuse of your information, and then they turn around and find ways to profit off your activity on the website. It would be nice if there was an actual way to stop this without deactivating your account, but it would appear that you can either not use facebook or deal with your information being used.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about how many times i've "agreed" without knowing what I am agreeing to: countless. Now, it's often from sites or companies that I trust, but I know that's not always right to do. After reading this post, I want to make myself more careful and maybe start actually reading the agreement. It might very well be something we all are going to have to start doing, and stop trusting...
ReplyDelete