Forum Moderators: rogerd
Privacy is now starting to become recognised as an important aspect, and many are finding problems arising when they try to remove their social networking profile and their footprints.
“It’s like the Hotel California,” said Nipon Das, 34, a director at a biotechnology consulting firm in Manhattan, who tried unsuccessfully to delete his account this fall. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”It took Mr. Das about two months and several e-mail exchanges with Facebook’s customer service representatives to erase most of his information from the site, which finally occurred after he sent an e-mail threatening legal action. But even after that, a reporter was able to find Mr. Das’s empty profile on Facebook and successfully sent him an e-mail message through the network.
Social Networking and Privacy [nytimes.com]
Is it time for Social Networks to have a tiered removal policy, including a complete removal facility in place?
I suggest that only half in jest...
I do think it's a good idea to,
1) Have clear TOS that states what you will do, and what you won't.
2) Warn users at time of registration, posting, etc. of any privacy-related advice, e.g., "We suggest you not use either your real name or any identifiable user name if you wish to remain anonymous. We are unable to delete posts in the future, so please choose a username that meets your privacy needs."
