Privacy issues and why current social networks are flawed.

Social networking sites attract millions of users for their ability to let people stay in touch with their existing contacts. In fact, existing connections are one of the main reasons people join social networks in the first place. A user is able to sign up to one of these sites and can “type oneself into being”, so to speak. But there is a growing concern about how much digital privacy these sites afford users. In fact, the NSPCC conducted a study that shows 4 out of 5 children feel social media companies are not doing enough to protect them. (NSPCC). Additionally, Facebook has played defense on a number of privacy allegations such as whether it scans users’ private messages and indexes the URLS found in those messages.

At their core, social networking sites are very similar. While the interface, and initial setup may be different, users always engage in a similar way. A user becomes “friends” with another person that they may or may not be close with in real life. A user profile is a window into the identity of its author. As the Internet has brought about an unexpected amount of connectedness, social media can feel intrusive at times. This can cause users to ask if privacy really exists on the web. Currently, the top social media platforms fall short because their visibility and privacy settings are inflexible and there is a lack of trust.

The social sphere is in need of a new platform that prioritizes privacy. This is where the LYK application picks up the slack left by Facebook. LYK is a safe social network that connects friends and families all over the world.

Visibility

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even older sites like MySpace have unique visibility settings, yet they leave users in a rigid position in terms of privacy control. To establish understanding, a visibility or privacy setting allows a user to tweak how much of their profile is available to see by the public. For instance, on LinkedIn, a user can either browse in public or in private mode. Once a user selects private mode, their name and information is not shared with those people whose profiles they view. Additionally, LinkedIn’s accounts are separated into two categories. Users can sign up for a free basic account or a paid premium account. If users want to comment or interact with another in privacy mode, they are unable to do so. With LYK, a user is able to have a private chat with others in their network.

MySpace is a popular social networking site that reached its peak popularity in 2008. MySpace allows user to engage with “friends” only. Anyone that falls outside of that category is not able to interact with the user. This means users who do not accept each other’s friend requests are not able to see a user’s full profile. Facebook, on the other hand lets others see connections in a network such as close friends, acquaintances, or family. However, there are concerns that Facebook exploits this data for advertising revenue.

Additionally, Instagram has two settings that enable users to make their profiles either completely public or completely private, with little room to meet in the middle.

Instagram profiles are public by default. The trick with this site is, once you switch over to private mode only users approved by you can see your posts. And if you want to share a post with a select group of people you are unable to do that.

Social network privacy policies can be complex and difficult to comprehend for the average user. For example, how many users are aware that if a user with a private Instagram profile shares their post on Twitter or other social networks, their post may be publicly visible, depending on how their privacy settings are configured on those sites.

There was thus a need for a platform that allows users to establish their own privacy without the threat of someone watching in the background. LYK is unique because it allows users to have unprecedented control over their profile visibility. A user can now control who sees their posts and videos. This is made possible by the ‘choose-your-audience’ feature that a user defines prior to posting.

When a user downloads the LYK app, they can be sure that their posts and comments will always safely reach their intended audience. Unlike Facebook, which could potentially eavesdrop on a user. LYK is safe enough for your family and friends to use.

Facebook is Always in Control

How does Facebook fall short? In December 2017 1.4 billion users were logging onto Facebook daily. That’s a lot of people giving away their data. Not to mention, Facebook continually collects information about its users. This information includes location, relationship status, friends, network, workplace, birthday, not to mention data on a person’s likes and opinions. If all these traits were written on a piece of paper one would get a clear idea of who this person was, based on their profile.

The takeaway is that creating a Facebook profile and interacting with your network comes with little privacy. Liking a person’s status or a certain brand and advertisement lets everyone know a little bit more about you each time.

The same 1.4 billion users who logged into their Facebook accounts are the targets of advertising companies. More recently, there have been allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Facebook ads were purchased by Russians and paid for in rubles, which is Russian currency. However, this number does not take into account the likes or shares of this content, which further increased this number.

One person described Facebook’s ads as follows, “Time spent being on Facebook products including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger is not time spent with friends but time consuming public content, interacting with brands, etc.”

Lack of Trust

In an article titled “America Doesn’t Trust Facebook”, The Verge conducted a survey in partnership with the consulting firm Reticle Research. 1,520 people participated in the survey. In the survey, over 60% of people said they were unaware that Facebook owns Instagram. One reason is because the design and interface looks completely different. And apart from being able to sign up for Instagram with your Facebook account, there isn’t a clear connection between either platforms. Additionally, the survey noted that Americans don’t necessarily trust Facebook, as it ranked lower in trust than the top 5 technology companies. At the same time, participants in the survey said they would care if the Facebook platform disappeared. This means there is a market for another platform that can fulfill a person’s trust and allow them to connect with their friends and family in a healthy way.

There is already enough exploitation and privacy concerns with our existing social media sites. After all, wasn’t Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery pinned to the fact that she posted pictures of diamonds on her Instagram account?

Little by little, security and privacy are becoming common topics of conversation in our new technology-centered society. And it’s because the technology industry is always evolving that we have a hard time assessing the penalty for exploitation.

The LYK app will help restore privacy and trust in your social networking experience. LYK is positioned to be a worldwide sensation. Which is why technology adopters should get on board and download the app now (its available on both iOS and Android). I tried it and still love it today.