Content sharing services have become immensely popular on the Web. More than 1 billion people use this kind of services to communicate with friends and exchange all sorts of information. In this new context, privacy guarantees are essential: guarantees about the potential release of data to unintended recipients and the use of user data by the service provider. Although the general public is concerned about privacy questions related to unintended audiences, data usage by service providers is still misunderstood. In order to further explore this level of misunderstanding, this work presents the results of a survey conducted among 900 people with the aim of discovering how people care about the use of their personal data by service providers in terms of social media. From the results, we found that: (i) in general people do not read license terms and do not know very much about service policies, and when presented with these policies people do not agree with them; (ii) a good number of people would support alternative models such as paying for privacy or selling their personal data; and (iii) there are some differences between generations in relation to how they care about their data.

1. 11
How People Care aboutHow People Care about
their Personal Datatheir Personal Data
Released onReleased on
Social Media?Social Media?
www.assertlab.com
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
Centro de Estudos e Sistemas Avançados do Recife
Kellyton Brito ksb@cin.ufpe.br
Frederico Durão freddurao@dcc.ufba.br
Vinicius Garcia vcg@cin.ufpe.br
Silvio Meira silvio@meira.com

2. 22
AgendaAgenda
• Motivation
• Method
• Main results
• Conclusions

3. 33
MotivationMotivation
• More than 1 billion people (>70% of internet
population) use social networks (2011)
• More them 600M use at least daily (2011)
• Facebook achieved 1 Billion users (2012)
• People share a lot of personal information
– Many private details

4. 44
MotivationMotivation
Privacy can be compromised by many ways, for
instance:
The use of private data for marketing purposesThe use of private data for marketing purposes
by the social site or by plugby the social site or by plug--in applicationsin applications
using social site API’susing social site API’s
Among others…

5. 55
MotivationMotivation
People generally feel that the privacyfeel that the privacy of their
personal information is being protectedis being protected by social
media sites
but
A majority of the most popular social media, such
as FacebookFacebook, Twitter and Google Services, Twitter and Google Services (services
such as Google+, YouTube and orkut), expresslyexpressly
declare that the service is allowed to use, sharedeclare that the service is allowed to use, share
and sell (and much more) user data for marketingand sell (and much more) user data for marketing
or any other kind of purposesor any other kind of purposes.

6. 66
The StudyThe Study
• Main question:
How people care about the use of their personal
data by service providers in terms of social media.
• Specific questions:
– RQ1: Do people know about social network
companies’ policies?
– RQ2: Are people satisfied with these policies?
– RQ3: Do people would like a new social network
privacy and sharing model, i.e. Data Marketplace?
– RQ4: Are there differences between generations
related to how they care about their data?

7. 77
The MethodThe Method
• The questionnaire
– Defined by Computer Science Researchers + a
Psychologist
– Short brief about privacy, survey goals, estimated
response time
– Ten questions: 3 demographic and 7 specific
– Pilot with 6 respondents

8. 88
Data CollectionData Collection
• Online questionnaire
• Viral approach: Facebook, twitter, e-mail and IM’s
• People reached 2.348 clicks - bit.ly statistcs
• 900 respondents from 16 countries
– 95% brazilians

9. 99
ValidityValidity
• Descriptive analysis:
– Each question separately and data crossing
• 95% brazilians
– Study cannot be generalized to entire internet
population
– One of the biggest social media population (2nd on
the facebook)
• Successful viral advertising
– All ages achieved
– Example: 14% of Generation Z (12 to 19 years old) x
Brazilian population from 10 to 19 is 17,9%.

10. 1010
Age distribution*Age distribution*
Baby
Boomers
4%
Generation X
24%
Generation Y
58%
Generation Z
14%
*D. G. Oblinger and J. L. Oblinger, Educating the Net Generation: Educause, 2005.

11. 111111
Main ResultsMain Results

12. 1212
RQ1: Do people know about social networkRQ1: Do people know about social network
companies’ policies?companies’ policies?
Do you usually read carefully the termsDo you usually read carefully the terms
of agreementof agreement, especially those lines
addressing information copyrights?
Do you knowDo you know that while transferring a file
or content through a social software youyou
are (in most cases) sharing your file’sare (in most cases) sharing your file’s
copyrightscopyrights with the social media
company?

13. 1313
RQ2: Are people satisfied with theseRQ2: Are people satisfied with these
policies?policies?
Do you fearDo you fear that social applications (such
as facebook or twitter) collect, maintain,collect, maintain,
analyze and commercialize the data youanalyze and commercialize the data you
provide?provide?
Have you ever considered giving upHave you ever considered giving up using
some social applications for fear ofapplications for fear of
misuse or commercializationmisuse or commercialization of your
personal data?

14. 1414
RQ3: do people like a new social network privacyRQ3: do people like a new social network privacy
and sharing model, i.e. Data Marketplaceand sharing model, i.e. Data Marketplace
What do you think about a marketplaceWhat do you think about a marketplace
in which the social applications reward
you for making use of your personal data?
Would you pay for a serviceWould you pay for a service that gives
you total control over the data that you
publish on social applications (beyond
application level features such as privacy
settings)?

15. 151515
11 -- Does people knows aboutDoes people knows about
social network companies’social network companies’
policies?policies?
• Definitely not!
• 55% have never read terms of agreement and
copyrights, and only 4% always read it
• As a consequence, they do not know that they
are sharing their copyrights (54%)

16. 161616
22 -- Are people satisfied withAre people satisfied with
these policies?these policies?
• Definitely not!
• 83% fear that social applications collect,
maintain, analize and commercialize their data
• And 68% think about give up from these
applications fearing misuse or
commercialization of their personal data

17. 171717
33 -- Do people would like a newDo people would like a new
social network privacy and sharingsocial network privacy and sharing
model, i.e. Data Marketplace?model, i.e. Data Marketplace?
• Some people
• 32% thinks that a Data Marketplace would be
the ideal scenario
• But 63% do not believe that it is possible
• 55% could pay for a service that guarantee
their privacy
• 11% for sure
• But 40% not at all

18. 1818
People Keener to Pay for PrivacyPeople Keener to Pay for Privacy
• People concerned to configure their visibility
settings
• People that read and know about companies
agreement terms and copyright sharing
• People that fear the misuse of their data
think about giving up applications and are
keener to pay for privacy.
• These people would like the DataMarket model

19. 191919
44 –– Are there differencesAre there differences
between generations related tobetween generations related to
how they care about theirhow they care about their
data?data?

20. 2020
Terms of agreement and copyrightsTerms of agreement and copyrights
• Young people don’t read!
Do you usually read carefully the terms of agreement,
especially those lines addressing information copyrights?

21. 2121
Fear aboutFear about data misuse or commercedata misuse or commerce
• Older people think about give up applications, and youngest
have higher rates of “I do not care”
• Younger people more tolerant if they need services

22. 2222
Data marketplaceData marketplace
• X and Y generation with higher confidence
– Economically active population ?

23. 2323
Would people pay for privacy?Would people pay for privacy?
• Older generations more keener to pay,
independent of the cost

24. 2424
Summary of generation behaviorSummary of generation behavior

25. 252525
Concluding…Concluding…

26. 2626
Final ConclusionsFinal Conclusions
• People do not read license terms and
consequently do not know very much about
services policies;
• People care about their privacy, and fear that
social applications collect, maintain, analyze and
commercialize their data;
• A good number of people would support
alternative models such as paying for privacy or
selling their personal data;
• There are some differences between generations
in relation to how they care about their data.

27. 2727
Final ConclusionsFinal Conclusions
• Considering survey results, probably there is a
new market for:
(i) New social sites that emphasize these privacy
questions
(ii) A new Data Marketplace service that could allow
social applications reward users for making use
of their personal data.

28. 282828
How people cares aboutHow people cares about
their personal datatheir personal data
released onreleased on
social medias?social medias?
www.assertlab.com
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
Centro de Estudos e Sistemas Avançados do Recife
Kellyton Brito ksb@cin.ufpe.br
Frederico Durão freddurao@dcc.ufba.br
Vinicius Garcia vcg@cin.ufpe.br
Silvio Meira silvio@meira.com