User:Azizsalim/Privacy in Social Information Access

Privacy is a particularly important aspect of social information access (SIA) systems, which help users get the right information using the actions, preferences and/or contributions of other users. Privacy implications associated with online social networking depend on the level of identifiability of the information provided, its possible recipients, and its possible uses. Privacy concerns with social networking services is a subset of data privacy, including the right of charging personal privacy concerning storing, repurposing, preparation to third-parties, and displaying of information about oneself via the Internet.

privacy dimensions in SIA systems:
There are many privacy dimensions in SIA systems and the main six are as following:
 * The Recipient.
 * The Personal Information
 * The Use of the Information
 * The Decision
 * The User
 * The Problems

Privacy issues in SIA:
There are privacy implications of the different types of SIA systems. They divided based on systems by recipient type as “aggregators” (disclosure to the system only), “public content systems” (disclosure to the system and the public), and “network-based systems” (disclosure to the system and known contacts).

SIA system privacy issues based on recipients type are as following:

1. Aggregators:
Aggregators, which include (Social Navigation, Social Search, and Recommendation) and they all have the system as the recipient. “Aggregators” are SIA systems that collect personal information, but only reveal it to other users in aggregated or derivative form. Since the system shields the user data from other users and the public, the system itself is the only recipient that the user will need to trust.
 * Aggregators include:
 * Social navigation.
 * Social search engines.
 * Recommender systems.


 * Many systems ask users to disclose information before they get to enjoy any benefits. In these situations, users may assess the anticipated (rather than observed) benefits. In deciding whether to collect and use certain private information, the developers of the system are advised to make sure that both benefits and privacy meet a certain threshold. there are many examples shows the privacy issues related to the aggragators such as filter bubbles, unwanted predictions, De-anonymization.


 * Solutions:
 * A possible mitigation of privacy concern with SIA systems is to allow users to remain anonymous and that can be done by using (Pseudonym) or (differential privacy)

2. Public content systems:
Public content systems are public by default the public availability of their content is often crucial to their operation. In disclosing to these systems, users have to consider two types of recipients: the system, and other people. Public content systems include:
 * Social Q&A systems.
 * Certain social tagging systems.
 * Microblogs (e.g. Twitter)


 * Many important motivations for disclosure in public content systems is self-presentation. For example in "Social Q&A systems" people tend to release information in orde to have more rewards. The same scenario can apply to the "Social tagging systems ", where users' choices depend on the tagged items such as "Pinterest". Many privacy issues can appear for disclose the information to the public content social systems such as disclosure regret, alter context and context aware-spam.


 * Solutions:
 * Try to prevent unwanted disclosures from happening at all by using new disclosure default settings such as "Mail Goggles".

3. Network-based systems:
Network-based systems, which is systems that depend on close interaction or collaboration between its members include:
 * Social Networking (e.g. Facebook).
 * Collaboration Systems.


 * People are willing to release their information to these kinds of systems to increase their social capital, social connectedness, self-esteem, and personal well-being. The privacy issues in this types are that users worry less about the confidentiality of their information, but more about information overload, social conventions, or leaving a wrong impression. An example of the privacy concern is the unwanted friend recommendations, for example, suggesting someone ex-boyfriend/girlfriend as a new friend.
 * Solutions:
 * In this case, solutions can show in term of change the privacy setting and increase the release of the information sensitivity based on the justifications.

SIA in support of privacy
There are two ways in which social information can be used to support privacy decisions:
 * Explicitly show users social information about privacy decisions that can help them navigate the privacy decision landscape.
 * Use social information to provide “privacy recommendations”.