13 Million Facebook Users Aren’t Aware Of Privacy Settings

Privacy on Facebook is a big deal, so it sort of makes you wonder why 13 million users in the US are either totally oblivious to Facebook’s privacy controls or use them minimally at best.

With all the security breaches at Facebook from time to time, you’d think that 13 million people would take the time to shore up their defenses, but no. A recent study my Consumer Report found that millions of American Facebook users expose themselves to all sort of threats and potential conflicts by not tapping into Facebook’s tools for ensuring privacy protection. The trouble isn’t so much that people leave much of their profile and updates public, it’s what they chose to share that is alarming. The study found that 4.8 million people shared details of their whereabouts and plans publicly, indicating among other things, when they wouldn’t not be home (i.e. when their house would be empty).

Another 4.7 million have liked a Fan page related to some sort of health issue or medical treatments—likes which once picked up by insurance companies can used against these people. The vast majority of Facebook users in the US are actually up to speed on protecting their data, but 9% of the estimated 150 million users don’t take any precautions whatsoever.

Facebook goes public tomorrow; perhaps now is a good time for developers on the platform to start educating all their users about the need for utilizing privacy controls.

Do you take absolute precaution with privacy on Facebook?

via