Some social networking sites change their extensive policies so often, it can be hard to keep up.
Facebook, for example, announced a major privacy revamp last August. the social networking site reworked a bunch of its privacy settings; according to The Next Web, the social network rolled out a few tweaks to its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities page on March 18.
With this in mind, it seems the best way to secure your online privacy is by meticulously controlling what you're sharing, how you're sharing, and who you're sharing with -- in addition to keeping up with your favorite social media sites' privacy policies. Fortunately, it seems many people have already realized that careful curation of whatever content they post is essential to protecting online privacy.
ZoneAlarm, a consumer Internet security company owned by Check Point Software Technologies, Inc., compiled some stats about how we Internet users tend to control our privacy on social networking sites. Using data from a Pew Internet and American Life Project report released on February 24, ZoneAlarm posted an infographic on the company's blog to visually explain that social networkers of all ages are becoming a lot more savvy when it comes to protecting their online privacy.
Among some of the most interesting stats: A greater percentage of social networking site users untagged photos, deleted comments, and unfriended someone in 2011 than just two years ago in 2009, indicating that many people are becoming warier online. In addition, 19 percent more women than men have their profiles set to private, allowing only friends to view what they've posted. Men, on the other hand, are more likely than women to have partially private or completely public profiles.
Check out the infographic below to learn a little more about how online users protect their privacy and to pick up some tips on how you can improve your own online privacy practices. Do you have any advice on how to best manage social media privacy? Share your wisdom below!
For more tips on how to stay safe on social networks, check out our slideshow (below) to see what you should never post on Facebook. Then, read on to view our slideshow of things you should never post on Twitter.
