13 million US Facebook users don’t change privacy settings

[ronjor]

By Emil Protalinski

An estimated 13 million U.S. Facebook users choose not to change, or are not even aware of the service’s privacy settings. This means they are potentially sharing personal information with more than just their network of Facebook friends.

To put the number into perspective, remember that Facebook has over 169 million monthly active users in the U.S. as of March 31, 2012, and over 901 million monthly active users in total.

https://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/...settings/12398

[chrisretusn]

I change mine, and check them often. So do most folks I know that use Facebook. How does one get an estimated 13 million users don't; from a study of 2,002 households surveyed (1,340 of which identified as being active on Facebook)?

[CasperFace]

Originally Posted by chrisretusn

I change mine, and check them often. So do most folks I know that use Facebook. How does one get an estimated 13 million users don't; from a study of 2,002 households surveyed (1,340 of which identified as being active on Facebook)?

I would argue the exact opposite. Anecdotally, I would say that most everyday computer users don't care (or care very little) about privacy settings. But if the statistical sampling shows that only 13 million out of 169 million are in this camp, that means over 92% of users evidently are aware of privacy settings. I find this statistic rather hard to believe, frankly, considering the overall lack of computer literacy/tech savviness of the general population.

[LockBox]

Originally Posted by CasperFace

I would argue the exact opposite. Anecdotally, I would say that most everyday computer users don't care (or care very little) about privacy settings. But if the statistical sampling shows that only 13 million out of 169 million are in this camp, that means over 92% of users evidently are aware of privacy settings. I find this statistic rather hard to believe, frankly, considering the overall lack of computer literacy/tech savviness of the general population.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

~

[Noob]

Well recently people have paid more attention to FB privacy settings (At least the people around me).
I know because i've noticed it.

[ronjor]

Millions have not reviewed Facebook privacy settings: Here’s how

A few months ago we highlighted Facebook security settings and how to enable various protections. In this post, we delve more into granular control of your data privacy. By ratcheting down your privacy settings, you can have more control over who can get to your data, helping to keep your social networking experience positive, and potentially preventing problems before they occur.

[JackReacher]

Originally Posted by chrisretusn

I change mine, and check them often. So do most folks I know that use Facebook. How does one get an estimated 13 million users don't; from a study of 2,002 households surveyed (1,340 of which identified as being active on Facebook)?

Sampling, almost every statistic you see in the news, in academic papers, etc, is based on a sample population, not the actual population. If they use good sampling methodology, and select a representative sample population, it should be a pretty precise estimate of the overall population. Although, a sample of 2002/1340 seems on the low side to me.

[chrisretusn]

Originally Posted by JackReacher

Sampling, almost every statistic you see in the news, in academic papers, etc, is based on a sample population, not the actual population. If they use good sampling methodology, and select a representative sample population, it should be a pretty precise estimate of the overall population. Although, a sample of 2002/1340 seems on the low side to me.

Thanks, I am aware of these things. I do agree that sampling 0.0154% of the population does seem a bit low....

It is my opinion, that studies, surveys are almost always manipulated to support the point being made. In this case Facebook is the bullseye....

[JackReacher]

sorry Chris,
I didn't intend to come across as rude, but looking back at my post, I see it could have come across as a bit rude. Also, many people do not understand sampling or how it works.

However I do agree that,

surveys are almost always manipulated to support the point being made

They are often manipulated, although I wouldn't go as far as saying they are "almost always" manipulated.

Edit: it is also important to note that comparing the sample population of the study (measured in households) to the overall population is like comparing apples to oranges. To compare the sample size to the U.S. population you would need to multiply the sample size by 2.6 to get a rough estimate.

[chrisretusn]

You didn't come off as rude. The explanation was a good one. I just wanted to let you know I was aware of how things work is all. I am always amazed at surveys, studies that encompass a very small subset of the population and come to overly broad assumptions that apply to millions. Like the headline I read in this mornings paper, 13.8 million Filipinos unemployed, survey was based on face-to-face interviews of 1200 people across the country, so they say, I suspect most was done in Manila.

Just finished my own small survey of Facebook users I know (46), 100% of them have changed their privacy settings.

[siljaline]

ESET link cited here as well.

Originally Posted by ronjor

Millions have not reviewed Facebook privacy settings: Here’s how