Respect My Privacy

Abstract

Most social networks have implemented extensive, complex privacy controls in order to battle the host of privacy concerns that initially plagued their online communities. These privacy controls have taken the form of access restriction, which allows users to specify who is and who is not allowed to view their personal information. This binary system leaves users unprotected in the, hopefully rare, cases in which the access restriction mechanisms are bypassed. Respect My Privacy offers a different approach to privacy protection, founded on the philosophies of Information Accountability. Respect My Privacy aims to allow users to clearly declare the policies that govern the use of their data, and implement mechanisms that promptly notify the user of misuse after the fact. In its current state, the Respect My Privacy project has been implemented across three platforms: Facebook, OpenSocial, and the Tabulator extension with a focus on defining a clear vocabulary for discussing restrictions on use of data and making it simple for users to display and edit the restrictions users wish to place on their personal information. There is also a discussion on decentralized social networks and their role in the future of Respect My Privacy and social networks in general.