In trying to erase an embarrassing trail of photos or unwanted wall posts, users of the ubiquitous social networking site Facebook.com may find covering their e-tracks more difficult than anticipated.
While the site has developed into a valuable tool for students and social networkers alike, it also allows a user's entire Facebook history to potentially float around on the Internet for years, even after an account is deactivated.
Until recently, Facebook only allowed its users a deactivation option. Deactivating an account temporarily suspends all information from being displayed to the public - but all data continues to be stored in the Web site's database.
The idea behind the practice of storing data is that, should users wish to return after leaving the Web site, they will not need to create a new account.
In order to actually remove all information from the site, Facebook formerly requested that users delete every wall post, picture, and profile entry - one at a time.
Many users who asked Facebook to fully delete their accounts were met with red tape. Steven Mansour, an expert on cyberinfrastructure and cyberactivism and one of the first to demand a change in Facebook's policy, became interested in the issue after his own attempt to delete his account generated an ongoing debate with Facebook.
"I tried to find the contact address of Facebook support, and I e-mailed them and asked them to close my account," Mansour said. "They said, 'Our policy is, you need to go through your page and delete every piece of content you've ever written.' We went back and forth for a while."
Mansour was particularly disenchanted, citing similar Web sites like Flickr.com and MySpace.com that allow deletion of accounts with no questions asked.
"It's one thing when I choose to leave a Web service because I don't want them profiting from my content. It's another [thing] when they prevent me from leaving," Mansour wrote on his blog.
Mansour cited Facebook's cryptic attitude as one of his main reasons for beginning a debate on the option of full account deletion.
"They're very opaque when it comes to their policies ... Obviously, they use it for advertising," Mansour said. "I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but based on the associations that support Facebook, it's safe to say they use it for more than advertising."
Mansour also pointed out that the innumerous applications on Facebook can access and store information without a user's consent, regardless of whether that information is vital to running the application effectively.
"As soon as you install these applications, they can data mine your profile, even if they never use that for their applications," he said. "As soon as you install that application, they have all that access to information. You won't even know it."
While Mansour is not concerned about the information he put on the site, he said the practice of storing information is part of a larger issue.
"It's not solely about Facebook," he said. "It's about setting a precedent for educating users on why privacy is important and how their privacy gets used."
University Information Technology Associate Director for Outreach Dawn Irish was less concerned with Facebook's deactivation procedures. Irish cautioned users to be aware of what they post, but lauded Facebook's ability to connect people.
"I think, in general, people that use these social networking sites have to think before they post anything and before they put any personal information on the Web site," she said. "I have an account myself. I'm not afraid to use it ... It's a great tool, but you have to use it with caution."
Irish specifically cited safety and privacy issues as reasons that Facebook should look into its deactivation-only practice.
"I think that, when you're first signing up for a social networking site, you don't think about the day when you need to delete everything. [Facebook] may want to think about that policy in the future because there have certainly been a lot of issues that have been devastating from a personal or sometimes a safety perspective," she said.
Users' requests to create a pure delete option on Facebook were answered last week, following a New York Times article about the issue - several computer specialists cited violations of privacy and a clear intent to mislead users with the deactivation-only policy.
The new delete option, however, is hidden among the functions of Facebook's "Help" page. Users must first seek out the section at the bottom of the page, navigate to "Privacy and Security," select the "How do I delete my account?" option, and then fill out a message form to Facebook's administrators, who will delete the account.
But no time frame for deletion is given.
Tufts students interviewed said they are not concerned about the debate on deletion versus deactivation because of the diligence with which they maintain their Facebook information. Because many companies and businesses are using Facebook as a second resume, some students have made sure that incriminating information or photographs don't even reach the Web.
"I've heard of multiple instances of people who have gotten fired or weren't hired because of their Facebook profile," junior Zach Friedman said. "If you don't want something to be seen by others, you shouldn't have it there in the first place. I'm not worried because everything I put up is stuff that I've maintained."
Senior Krish Kotru echoed Friedman's opinion that information, once on the Web, can be accessed by anyone, and should be uploaded with caution.
"It makes sense that any Web site, once you upload information, is going to have some ability to retain it. Once you put information on the Web, it's out there," Kotru said. "As it is, I know that a lot of my friends and even potential employers are going to be looking at my profile, so I try to keep it, especially in recent years, somewhat respectable."
Senior Alex Bedig cited the ubiquity of Facebook accounts and their associated slip-ups as alleviating some of his concerns regarding incriminating information.
"I'm comfortable with it because I think everyone's going to be subject, so I think people have the same understanding for anything people will be embarrassed about now," Bedig said. "It is commonplace for people to have a Facebook faux pas."
