Use Of Privacy Settings Research Articles

Examining priming and gender as a means to reduce risk in a social networking context: Can stories change disclosure and privacy setting use when personal profiles are constructed?

The objective of this study was to examine whether content of Facebook profiles differed as a function of priming story and gender. Disclosure of personal information and the use of privacy settings when constructing Facebook profiles were assessed when participants were or were not provided with priming stories that would alert them to potential risks from information sharing on the Internet. Participants read one of three priming stories (anecdotal, legal or neutral), prior to constructing a profile for either a male or female. The anecdotal story described a stalking incident, while the legal story summarized a ‘typical’ online privacy statement. Previously established scoring tools were used to assess disclosure and privacy settings use (see Nosko, Wood, & Molema, 2010). Overall, gender was an important predictor for disclosure. Females disclosed less sensitive information than males after reading the anecdotal privacy story. Less disclosure also was found when participants constructed a profile for someone of the same gender. Disclosure of particular pieces of information also differed by gender of the discloser. Very few participants employed privacy settings. The impact for these outcomes is discussed in terms of their ability to potentially inhibit over-disclosure in personal profiles and to identify users who are at particular risk.

Revisiting Social Network Utilization by Physicians-in-Training

To measure and compare the frequency and content of online social networking among 2 cohorts of medical students and residents (2007 and 2009). Using the online social networking application Facebook, we evaluated social networking profiles for 2 cohorts of medical students (n = 528) and residents (n = 712) at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Objective measures included existence of a profile, whether it was made private, and whether any personally identifiable information was included. Subjective outcomes included photographic content, affiliated social groups, and personal information not generally disclosed in a doctor-patient encounter. We compared our results to our previously published and reported data from 2007. Social networking continues to be common amongst physicians-in-training, with 39.8% of residents and 69.5% of medical students maintaining Facebook accounts. Residents' participation significantly increased (P < .01) when compared to the 2007 data. Individuals in the 2009 cohort had significantly more "friends" (P < .01), belonged to more "groups" (P < .01), and were more likely to limit public access to their profiles through the use of privacy settings (P < .01) than the individuals in the 2007 cohort. Online social networking application use by physicians-in-training remains common. While most now limit access to their profiles, personal profiles that still allow public access exhibited a few instances of unprofessional behavior. Concerns remain related to the discovery of content in violation of patient privacy and the expansive and impersonal networks of online "friends" who may view profiles.