Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Facebook Privacy - Does It Concern You?

There has been a lot of talk about privacy concerns on Facebook, especially with the planned release today of the new "easy" Facebook privacy controls. However, do you know if these issues really affect you and your company? Here's what you need to know:
  1. On a Facebook Company Page, there are very limited privacy options.
  2. Country Restrictions:
    • Entering one or more countries means that only people located in those countries listed will be able to view your Page. This also means that logged out users will not be able to see your Page. If no countries are listed, your Page will be visible to people located in all countries. You understand that you are responsible for setting the proper country restrictions to ensure that the content of your Page is appropriate for the country or countries where you allow it to be visible.
  3. Age Restrictions:
    • Selecting an age restriction means that anyone under the specified age will not be able to find your Page in search or on friends' profiles or view the content in other ways. This also means that logged out users will not be able to see your Page. The Alcohol-Related age restriction sets the minimum age based on the location of the user. Only users in Canada and South Korea who are 19+, in Japan and Paraguay who are 20+, in India who are 25+, and elsewhere (including the US) who are 21+ will be able to view your Page. You understand that the Alcohol-Related age restriction is only for convenience and that Facebook does not represent that by using that setting your Page will be legally compliant in all countries where your Page is visible. You understand that ultimately you are responsible for setting the proper legally compliant age restrictions for each country where your Page is visible.
  4. Published:
    • Published (publicly visible)
    • Unpublished (visible to no one but admins)
  5. Default View for Wall:
    • Posts by Page and Fans
    • Only Posts by Page
  6. Fan Permissions:
    • Fans can write or post content on the wall
      • Fans can post photos
      • Fans can post videos
      • Fans can post links
Keep in mind that according to the Facebook Terms of Service, you are not allowed to create a Profile Page for a brand/product/organization. Profile Pages are for individuals only, and the biggest privacy concerns affect only Profile Pages.

If you are interested in how you can make Facebook work for your company, please contact us!

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