우려가 현실로...

우려가 현실로...

SNS 사용자의 개인정보가 사용자 동의 없이 수집되고, 상업적으로 이용되고 있군요?

영국의 대표 언론 중에 하나인 FT, March 11, 2013 8:15 pm에 의하면, 

대표적인 SNS Site 중에 하나인 페이스북이 사용자가 동의하지 않은 개인정보를 지속해서 수집하고 있고 이를 상업적으로 이용하고 있다는 Cambridge university academics의 연구 조사 결과가 나왔습니다. 그동안 세간의 입방아로 남았던 소문이 사실로 확인된 연구 결과입니다. 이에 대해 페이스북은 논평을 거부했습니다. 이는 비단 페이스북 만의 일은 아닌 것 같습니다.

Facebook reveals secrets you haven’t shared

The increasing amount of personal information that can been gleaned by computer programs...

The increasing amount of personal information that can been gleaned by computer programs that track how people use Facebook has been revealed by an extensive academic study.

Such programmes can discern undisclosed private information such as Facebook users’ sexuality, drug-use habits and even whether their parents separated when they were young, according to the study by Cambridge university academics.

In one of the biggest studies of its kind, scientists from the university’s psychometrics team and a Microsoft-funded research centre analysed data from 58,000 Facebook users to predict traits and other information that were not provided in their profiles.

The algorithms were 88 per cent accurate in predicting male sexual orientation, 95 per cent for race and 80 per cent for religion and political leanings. Personality types and emotional stability were also predicted with accuracy ranging from 62-75 per cent.

Facebook declined to comment.

The study highlights growing concerns about social networks and how data trails can be mined for sensitive information, even when people attempt to keep information about themselves private. Less than 5 per cent of users predicted to be gay, for example, were connected with explicitly gay groups.

Michal Kosinksi, one of the report’s authors, told the Financial Times that the university’s techniques could easily be replicated by companies to infer personal attributes a person did not wish to share, such as sexual orientation or political views: “We used very simple and generic methods. Marketing companies and internet companies could spend much more time and resources, and hence get much higher accuracy than we did.”

Last week , the EU agreed to water down proposals for a radical overhaul of data privacy regulation. The move reflects governments’ reluctance to impede internet businesses that might spur economic growth, and follows fierce lobbying from technology companies including Facebook and Google.

Personal data has become big business. Wonga, the UK online lender, makes credit judgments within seconds based on thousands of pieces of information, including an applicant’s Facebook profile. Tesco, the supermarket chain, this month started touse its customers’ shopping histories to sell targeted online advertising. The report also revealed some unexpected correlations – such as people who liked ‘curly fries’ having higher IQs, while those who like Facebook’s “Sliding on Floors With Your Socks On” page were unlikely to use drugs.

Mr Kosinski said, however, that the study was not designed to discourage online sharing: “I would discourage people from abstaining from the technology – the milk is to some extent already spilt and there’s a lot of information about you online anyway. I would suggest raising privacy settings and exerting consumer pressure by trying to use the services that are protecting your privacy best.”

Source; http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/09c8172c-8a45-11e2-bf79-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2N8bG2jdf