Effective privacy protection in social networks

In principle, social networks such as Facebook are a good things: users can communicate with other people around the globe, contacting their closest friends in all places and at all times to share experiences with them in real time. Yet many users have problems publishing posts and photos in a way that will protect them from the undesirable side effects to their online identities. To support users’ desire for “interactional privacy” - protection of the user’s private sphere in online dealings with other people - suggested improvements have already been made for networks such as Facebook. In a practical setting, however, these improved means are either too rigid to do justice to users’ multifaceted habits, or they are very complicated to manage because they try to solve a host of different problems all at the same time.

Further information: cordis.europa.eu