Social Media Privacy: Survey Analysis and Recommendations

This report examines social media privacy, encompassing key aspects such as privacy violations, risks, and threats associated with online platforms. The research employs a survey methodology, utilizing Google Forms to gather data from at least 40 participants. The report delves into the concept of social media, exploring various types of privacy breaches and their potential consequences. It investigates how companies collect and utilize user data, analyzing user perspectives on these practices. The findings from the survey data are presented and analyzed, offering insights into user concerns regarding data collection, privacy settings, and the use of personal information. Finally, the report concludes with recommendations for enhancing social media privacy and mitigating potential risks, offering practical guidance for users and organizations alike. This assignment provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of social media privacy and its impact on individuals and businesses.

1/9/2020 Social Media and other people's privacy
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hAwItRikI7tnpXNx57oD7XXs2Glp1S-AV58sknnj0Y8/edit 1/4
Social Media and other people's privacy
*Required
1. Please specify your gender *
Mark only one oval.
Female
Male
2. Please specify your age *
Mark only one oval.
Below 20 years
21-30 years
31-40 years
41-50 years
Above 51 years
3. Why do you use social media? *
Mark only one oval.
To connect with friends
To connect with new people who have similar interests
To express my opinion or share my knowledge on a subject
I use different social media platforms for different purposes
I don't use social media

1/9/2020 Social Media and other people's privacy
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hAwItRikI7tnpXNx57oD7XXs2Glp1S-AV58sknnj0Y8/edit 2/4
4. How do you manage the privacy settings of your social media accounts? *
Mark only one oval.
I change my privacy settings to control who has access to what I post on my account
I am aware of different levels of privacy but don’t worry about controlling them
I am not sure how to manage the privacy settings on my social media accounts
I don't use social media
5. Are your Facebook and Twitter status update messages or blog posts you post in social media,
visible to all internet users? *
Mark only one oval.
Yes, all of my social media postings are public and visible to all internet users
Yes, my social media postings are all public – but I don’t publish any sensitive information that I
don’t want other people to see
Some of my social media postings are public – I make information that might be sensitive
available only to a select group of people
No, all of my social media postings are protected and are visible only to a select group of people
I don’t publish anything online
6. Do you express your views on companies, products, services or brands through social media? *
Mark only one oval.
Always when I have something to say
Sometimes
I have but only on a few occasions
Have never done it but would consider it
Have never done it and would not consider it

1/9/2020 Social Media and other people's privacy
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hAwItRikI7tnpXNx57oD7XXs2Glp1S-AV58sknnj0Y8/edit 3/4
7. Some companies collect, or “scrape,” publicly accessible content that is posted on social media
sites -- such as Twitter, blog and forum posts -- to discover what people say about different
companies, brands and products. What do you think about the use of social media postings in
this way? *
Mark only one oval.
Strongly approve
Approve
Don’t care
Disapprove
Strongly disapprove
8. What must companies scraping for online data do to ensure social media privacy? *
Mark only one oval.
Nothing as long as the data they use is in the public domain
Make data anonymous before using it
Ask users' permission to use the data
Rephrase or summarise posts that are used without quoting them directly
9. Public bodies and private companies retaining information about you can sometimes use it for a
different purpose than the one it was collected for, without informing you (e.g. for direct
marketing, targeted online advertising, profiling). How concerned are you about this use of your
information? *
Mark only one oval.
Very concerned
Fairly concerned
Not very concerned
Not at all concerned
Don't Know

1/9/2020 Social Media and other people's privacy
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hAwItRikI7tnpXNx57oD7XXs2Glp1S-AV58sknnj0Y8/edit 4/4
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10. Do you believe that your explicit approval should be required before any sort of personal
information is collected and processed? *
Mark only one oval.
Yes, in all situations
Yes, when personal information is required online
Yes, when sensitive information whether online or offline is required (e.g. health, religion,
political beliefs, sexual preferences, etc.)
No
Don't Know