Twin Cities: Hacked! – Why You Should Care about Privacy in Social Media

by Ron Schreiner copyright 2011 all rights reserved

A review of “Hacked! – Why You Should Care About Privacy in Social Media” by Hacks and Hackers Twin Cities

( Disclaimer: I was one of the discussion panelists during this event )

Are Journalists (“Hacks”) and the digital literati of the computer culture (“Hackers”) so different from one another when it comes to (what? Pursuing Freedom of information? Transparency?)?

At their extremes, Journalists have Hunter S. Thompson, found of “Gonzo Journalism” and the computer culture has Richard M. Stallman (rms), a staunch defender of freedom who is consistent and insistent in his beliefs regarding free software and freedom. Somewhere between these two, we have everyone from aspiring computer geeks and hackers, to aspiring journalists and seasoned media professionals. So with this (what?) in common, why don’t we understand each other?

Is it a Social thing?

Well, maybe it is.

Geeks (I wear the title proudly) are the creators, developers, and also the users and first adapters of the many technologies which are commonly used today, such as Twitter and Facebook. Many journalists discovered these technologies as they break from the Internet underground into “Geek Mainstream”, but aren’t quite “mainstream-ready” for John Q. For that to happen, it takes journalists doing what they do best: writing.

Hackers create it, journalists write about it. Hackers and Hacks rely on each other because both need the other’s technologies and skills for their own work. In short, people within these given areas often must communicate with others who are outside of their area, thus social interaction takes place and some communication issues may arise. Over the past few decades the tools have changed significantly. And even within the last five years we have social media emerge full force into our society. As such, these tools change how we interact and communicate with each other.

Enter “Hacks and Hackers Twin Cities – Hacked! – Why You Should Care about Privacy in Social Media,” which was the second Hacks and Hackers Twin Cities meeting to take place, on July 21st, 2011 at Public Radio International (PRI). (I wish to thank PRI for its support of the local Hacks and Hackers Twin Cities group.)

Hacked! – Why You Should Care about Privacy in Social Media” (or also informally known as (“#HHTC 2”) was largely based upon this concept of communication and security within Social Media and how it affects our daily lives at home, work, online and offline via social integration of people and technologies. A small panel of people from various fields such as Journalism, Information Security, Social Media and Law, discussed the various aspects of Social Media and Security in a large group setting. Small break-out groups were formed during the meeting for more-focused discussions, – then came back together to share concerns around personal safety and security both online and off. In the new-normal of further integration of our lives at work, at home, online and off, the walls of separation are coming down fast. We are finding ourselves, as a society, on the frontier of the age of social media. Friendster and MySpace were some of the first Social Media services, but now we’re at the next level with Facebook, Twitter, and now Google Plus. These online communities will only get larger and more integrated into our lives — as individuals and as a society — as these services and others like them continue to grow.

“Hacked! – Why You Should Care about Privacy in Social Media” is really not just about social media and personal safety online and off; but also about how each of us figures out what this change means for us as individuals and as a society.

How does this all affect us?

How safe is my information?

Are certain social media websites dangerous?

What freedom and control over my data do I give up when I sign up for some social network services?

Is someone stalking me? Could they?

How does social media play into privacy and protection as a source to a Journalist? Some social network sites do NOT guarantee any privacy whatsoever, so if a journalist communicates with a source they wish to remain anonymous, these services should not be used.

What are the legal ramifications of using “cloud” or “software as a service” type of technologies?

Questions like these and more were discussed in lively conversations in which information flowed freely between audience members and panelists. We heard many viewpoints, many voices, many concerns and many of the pros and cons of Social media and security.

When I first presented the idea of a Security/Social Media-based forum, the response from people on the Hacks and Hackers Twin Cities form was indeed lukewarm at best. Even in the beginning of the actual event, response was slow at first as people tread into tepid waters, unsure of what we were about to do. But then the discussion blossomed into this beautiful thing which took on a life of its own — as dynamic as social media and life itself is. This event wasn’t about the panelists; it was about the average person. It wasabout being social not only in media, but with each other, face to face and getting different groups to communicate with each other through both analog and digital means, while trying to not lose too much privacy and security while doing it. It’s about communication, , security, people, and so much more.

There was so much material, we could have expanded this concept and this event into a small convention just on these topics alone. While this was only the second Hacks and Hackers Twin Cities meet-up, it far exceeded the expectations of those who helped to plan, implement and participated in this event. This was also the first meet-up by Hacks/Hackers Twin Cities in which a live broadcast was streamed via YouTube for anyone who wanted to watch live. My one regret is that we didn’t set up or use Twitter during the event to get live feedback from people who were not in attendance.

If you missed “Hacked! – Why You Should Care about Privacy in Social Media”, you can still watch the video on YouTube on PRI’s channel. But it’s not the same as being there — the bar has been set and I fully expect the next Hacks and Hackers Twin Cities event (TBA) to be even bigger and better. Do not miss out again!

Ron Schreiner copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved