Good information from this blog site. Many users are really not aware, or pay no attention to the sort of permissions they are granting when using Facebook apps. How much info about yourself are you willing to share?
In my lectures I warn of things like having your privacy settings set too broadly – sharing your information with the whole world – and things like installing Applications without understanding who wrote them or what their Terms of Service are.
Facebook has been getting better with setting rules for their developers, but its still important to know what access and rights developers have to your personal information when you use their apps. My general rule is that if I don’t know the developer, I don’t install the app. For instance, I play PopCap games in Facebook. I’ve used their apps for years, I’ve worked with their tech support, and I trust them to do the right thing. I have no idea who wrote the Facebook Application “How Long Will You Survive When Zombies Rule the World”, but 1,461,000 Facebook users have trusted them to do the right thing with their personal data. To install the app in Facebook (as with every app) I am cautioned:
By proceeding, you are allowing How long will you survive when zombies over run the world? to access your information and you are agreeing to the Facebook Terms of Use in your use of How long will you survive when zombies over run the world?
I’m not so trusting with strangers. (No offense, Zombie dudes. Random example from things I was invited to install today.)
Those “Terms of Use” link you to the “About Platform” page, which reminds you that when you install an application, you are giving the developer of that application permission to access such things as:
your name, your profile picture, your gender, your birthday, your hometown location (city/state/country), your current location (city/state/country), your political view, your activities, your interests, your musical preferences, television shows in which you are interested, movies in which you are interested, books in which you are interested, your favorite quotes, your relationship status, your dating interests, your relationship interests, your network affiliations, your education history, your work history, your course information, copies of photos in your photo albums, metadata associated with your photo albums (e.g., time of upload, album name, comments on your photos, etc.), the total number of messages sent and/or received by you, the total number of unread messages in your in-box, the total number of “pokes” you have sent and/or received, the total number of wall posts on your Wall, a list of user IDs mapped to your friends, your social timeline, notifications that you have received from other applications, and events associated with your profile.
via CyberCrime & Doing Time: Facebook Safety & Million Member Facebook Groups.
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