Concerns Among Social Media Users Over Privacy Policy Update
Users of a well-known social media app in the U.S. are feeling uneasy regarding changes to the platform's privacy policy. This unease follows a change in the app's ownership and a subsequent update to its privacy policy. Alarm bells rang when users were notified of these changes through a message within the app itself. The updated policy reveals the specific location data that the app might gather. Users have taken to other social media platforms to express their worries about the new policy, which states that the app can gather sensitive information, including their sexual behaviour, transgender or nonbinary status, and even their citizenship or immigration situation.
However, the fears of users might be unfounded. The language used in the policy isn't new and has been present in the policy before the change in ownership. The reason behind this wording is to be in line with state privacy laws such as the Consumer Privacy Act in California, which necessitates companies to disclose what sensitive information they collect. Similar disclosures can be found in the policies of other social media apps.
Understanding the Concerns
To comprehend why users are worried and why the policy is worded this way, one has to take into account the current political atmosphere and the legal requirements the app is trying to meet. The policy suggests that the app could gather information from the content users share or from surveys they take part in. This can include details about their ethnic or national origin, religious beliefs, health status, sexual behaviour, transgender or nonbinary status, citizenship or immigration status, or financial information.
Given the current political climate, it's understandable why U.S. users would find this language troubling. The rise in immigration enforcement under the current administration has led to protests across the nation, the epicenter of which is Minnesota. Recently, hundreds of businesses closed in protest of the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the state. This follows weeks of conflict between residents and ICE agents, resulting in numerous arrests and even the death of an American citizen.
The Legal Aspect
However, the language used in the privacy policy precedes these concerns. In the previous policy, the company explained that some of the data it collects and uses might be considered sensitive personal information under state privacy laws. The reason behind the specificity around types of sensitive information has to do with state privacy laws, like California's California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). The latter, for example, requires businesses to inform consumers when they collect sensitive information, which includes data like a consumer's social security number, driver's license number, passport number, financial account details, and even genetic and biometric information.
Thanks to the timing of the in-app alert regarding the change in ownership (a legal necessity due to the formation of a new legal entity), many people are now reading the app's terms for the first time. Seeing this language and fearing the worst, they are posting their concerns on social media and warning others; some are even contemplating deleting their accounts.
However, the policy is merely stating that, as part of operating its app, it may process sensitive information—particularly if it's the subject of a user's video—and that it's agreeing to process that sensitive information in accordance with applicable law. The policy even references the CCPA by name as an example of the laws the app is agreeing to comply with.
Comparison with Other Social Media Platforms
Interestingly, similar disclosures can be found in the policies of other social media platforms. However, some companies keep the explanations more high-level, while others, like this particular app, list out the precise categories legally defined as sensitive information for additional clarity. But one lawyer pointed out that spelling out these specific sensitive details so precisely can actually make things less clear to the end users.
Sharing content on social media platforms is not without risk, especially under authoritarian regimes that target their own citizens. These apps collect a lot of data, and governments can enact laws to gain access to it. Ironically, the decision to move the app's U.S. operations to the U.S. under new ownership was due to this exact concern, but with China then seen as the potential threat. Now, people in the U.S. are more worried about their own government's potential surveillance rather than China's.