Avoid providing your address, your age, your school, your workplace, your phone number, your full name or even your email when using the internet. Facebook is potentially in legal trouble over its privacy policies once again. Last Friday, Tony Merchant, a lawyer in Toronto,filed a class action lawsuit against Facebook regarding their 2009 privacy policy changes. He says they pulled a “bait and switch” on their users and have been using their personal information for monetary gain. Currently he is looking for people who can claim special damages due to their private information being shared unbeknownst to them.

            For those of you who use Facebook and are concerned about your privacy, here is a compilation of resources relating to Facebook’s privacy policies, how they have evolved, alternatives to Facebook, and even software that will help you manage your privacy more easily.

             OpenBook is a website dedicated to showing Facebook users how their information is being shared with the world. More to the point, OpenBook selects Facebook users’ statuses (and their profile pictures) based on key terms and relevant subject matter, then posts the information on their site in an attempt to raise awareness about what you are really sharing when you post information on Facebook.

            All Facebook, with its tagline of the “unofficial Facebook resource,” provides a very useful list of ten things users should know about their privacy on Facebook. All Facebook keeps tabs on Facebook changes and posts these changes to its homepage. You can also access stats about Facebook pages and apps.

            The tool http://zesty.ca/facebook/ allows you to type in your Facebook ID (the last part of the URL) and it shows you what information is available to the public. It was recommended in a PC World Blog about Facebook privacy. Alternatively, ReclaimPrivacy.org also has a tool to allow you to check your privacy settings. Its “Scan for Privacy” button can be dragged onto your browser bar and it will tell you where there are gaps in your privacy settings.

            There are also alternatives to Facebook, though none are quite as comprehensive. Twitter utilizes status-like updates, while Flickr focuses on photo-sharing. The Fridge enables users to create private groups amongst their friends - to access these groups an invitation to join is required. 

On the other hand, there is a new social networking tool in a testing phase at the moment called OneSocialWeb, which aims to connect all the social networks and allow its users to share information across networks; this is a development that could further impact privacy concerns and is something to keep an eye out for in the coming months.

Now more than ever, taking control of your personal information on the internet is important – web users stand on a precipice between retaining privacy and allowing the world to know everything. Using the above tools can help you manage your Facebook account and your privacy settings, but there are other ways to make sure you are not posting anything that could create safety issues later on.

·       Cybertip.ca provides age-specific tips on how to be safe on the internet, and what kids and youth need to know in order to protect themselves as much as possible on the internet. Cybertip.ca offers the following tips:

·       Never post a status that details where you are going to be all day, or if you’re going to be home alone all day or if you and your family are going on vacation.

Please note, more information on this topic and others related to internet privacy

can be found on the Access to Justice Network by searching the keywords

"internet safety" and "privacy"