In recent times, social networks have sprung up in society. Without a doubt, these systems provide a wide range of communication opportunities, but in turn pose significant risks to the privacy of its users and third parties who are not. In them, some personal data such as photographs can be accessed publicly and global, in a manner and in amounts never imagined, and people faced possible loss of control over your personal information and the way that third-you can use it once posted on the network. In media references to events related to these services, such as dismissals of workers after publishing certain personal information and opinions on social networks, cases of spoofing identity, or improper uses of the information published by users are quite frequent. In addition, we could know how one of the most popular social networks trying to take a turn in their use and privacy policies, in order to take over form indefinite dumps contents in it. One of our main challenges as guarantors of citizens data protection focuses on the expansion of systems that have led to an unprecedented level of disclosure of personal information.
In this context, the Spanish protection data agency, together with the National Institute of communication technologies, has made public a study relating to the security and privacy in social networks. This study warns of potential risks to privacy and collects a broad section of recommendations addressed both to users and to the social networks themselves. These include the need for these service providers to establish changes in the level of privacy settings to ensure the maximum degree of security on the user profile, by default, and that have a drafting clear and understandable terms of use and privacy policies. The publication of the profiles by search engines, starting to the user of tools that limit the possibility of tagging other users on the network and the implementation of systems that facilitate the verification of the age are other recommendations to ensure the privacy and the rights of its users. However, no forget the fundamental role of the participants. These should use extreme caution when entering personal data, both own and from third parties, as well as hosting graphic content. And above all, carefully set the degree of privacy of profile. It is necessary that they are aware that although based on community, suggests that the publication of the personal data of private nature would be comparable to share information with friends in person, in reality each profile information may be available to a whole community of users, which can amount to millions.