Information Technology Reference
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communication as a socializing force, mediating
and at times displacing social norms in different
contexts. In the interactive spaces of the Inter-
net, there may be a disconnect between the way
users say they feel about the privacy settings of
their blogs and how they react once they have
experienced the unanticipated consequences of a
breach of privacy (cf. Barnes, 2006; Gibson 2007;
Mannan & Oorschot 2008). The issue of privacy
setting can be problematic on social networking
sites for users since a default privacy setting
can constrain a user's need to meet and network
with more people beyond their offline network
(Joinson 2008: 1035). Mannan & Oorschot (2008:
487) concur that there is a tendency to overlook
privacy implications in the current rush to join
others in 'lifecasting' and users may work on the
false impression that only friends and family are
consuming the personal content.
Gross & Acquisti's (2005) anecdotal evidence
suggests that participants are happy to disclose as
much information as possible to as many people
as possible, thus highlighting the design and ar-
chitecture of sites which hinge on the ease with
which personal information is volunteered and the
willingness of users to disclose such information.
The perceived benefits of selectively revealing
data to strangers may appear larger than the per-
ceived costs of possible privacy invasions. Other
factors (such as peer pressure and herding behav-
ior, relaxed attitudes towards or lack of interest in
personal privacy, incomplete information about
the possible privacy implications of information
revelation, faith in the networking service or trust
in its members, and the myopic evaluation of
privacy risks of the service's own user interface)
may drive the unchallenged acceptance by users
of compromises to their safety (Gross & Acquisti
2005; Strater & Richter 2007; Gibson 2007), thus
sealing the role of SNS's as complicit risk com-
munities. Strater & Richter (2007) point out that
large-scale analyses of Facebook have revealed
that a majority (87% on average) of students have
default or permissive settings. While a significant
majority have an awareness of privacy options,
less than half ever alter their default setting. This
means that while users do not underestimate the
privacy threats of online disclosure, they can
nevertheless misjudge the 'extent, activity and
accessibility of their social networks' (Strater &
Richter 2007: 158).
According to a 2008 study by Ofcom, over
one fifth of UK adults have at least one online
community profile (cf. Szomszor et al. 2008).
Caverlee at al (2008: 1163) nevertheless point
out that the growth of social networking sites has
come with a huge cost as these sites have been
subject to threats such as specialised phishing
attacks, the impersonation of profiles, spam, and
targeted malware dissemination. Unanticipated
new threats, they state, are also bound to emerge.
They identify three resonant vulnerabilities which
plague social network users: malicious infiltra-
tion, nearby threats, and limited network view.
Malicious infiltration covers the illusion of such
networks being secure through the provision of
requiring a valid email address or a registration
form when in effect malicious participants can
still gain access. Similarly, nearby threats allude
to the nearness of malicious users who can be a
'few hops away' despite users believing they have
a tight control over their direct friends. Lastly, a
limited network view describes the fact that users
have a myopic perspective on the entire network
as they may not be privy to information about the
vast majority of participants in the entire network.
The Facebook site for example maintains over 18
million user profiles with 80% to 90% of college
undergraduates as users where users are allowed
to disclose more varied information fields on the
site (cf. Strater & Richter 2007: 157). Strater and
Richter's (2007) research on Facebook also reveals
that users were unaware of the ability of others to
remove, delete, and in other ways control tagged
photographs and wall posts from their profiles,
thereby consigning such personal images and
information to a life of permanent circulation and
consumption on the web.
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