Privacy Risks in Social Network

Sites
Prioritization and Framework

David Riphagen
Social Network Sites?

1.Personal profile

2.Friends list

3.Ability to view other profiles

4.Membership rules
 Severe Privacy Threats

for

Users of Social Network Sites

Prioritize Threats
 Deconstruct Threats

by
1. Activities that cause damage

2. Reasons why activities are damaging

Threat?
Collection

Processing

Disseminatio
n
 Information
Collection
Threat

“Joe”
Source: Riphagen, D., 2008. The Online Panopticon. Privacy Risks for Users of Social Network Sites. Identification and prioritizations of
privacy rirks for users of Social Network Sites and cosniderations for policy makers to minimize these risks. , 149. Available at:
www.davidriphagen.nl/Riphagen_2008_PrivacyRisksForUsersofSocialNetworkSites.pdf.
Threat Collection

Processing

“Joe”
 Information
Threat
Processing

Δ Processing

Joe changed his relationshi

status from
‘in a relation’
to
‘invisible’
Threat Collection

Processing

“Joe”
Dissemination
 Information
Threat
Dissemination

“If you use a service from a partner,

the privacy statement of that partner
applies. Check their privacy
statement when visiting their
website.”
Source: Hyves Prvacy Policy. Available at: http://www.hyves.nl/privacy/
 Information
Threat
Dissemination

Source: API Methods Hyves API. Available at: http://trac.hyves-api.nl/wiki/APIMethods

Incident?
 Survey
• American privacy and Internet
Threat

experts
Incident

• Identify privacy incidents

• How much damage incurred?
• How many users affected?
Damage?
Collection

Processing

Disseminatio
n
 How is this Damaging?
Threat 1. Information-based

harm
1. Informational
Incident

inequality
1. Informational
Damage
injustice
1. Restriction of moral autonom

/ Inability to create moral

Recovery?
 Threat

Incident

Damage

Recovery
 Severe Privacy Threats

for

Users of Social Network Sites

Prioritize Threats
 Deconstruct Threats

by
1. Activities that cause damage

2. Reasons why activities are damaging

Privacy Risks in Social Network
Sites
Questions?
Back-up
Research Activities

1 2 3 4
Faceboo
Literatu Desk
k Expert
re Researc
Case Survey
Review h
Study
Threat Collection

“Joe”
Privacy threats in Social Network
Collection
Sites
Processing
should be conceptualized as

unwanted accessDisseminatio
to
n
Identity-Relevant Information
The main incident that puts the

privacy of users of SNS at risk is:

Collection

Processing
The collection of information

from secondary sources,

Disseminatio
n
Which is used by the