Recently, while watching the 2010 CNBC documentary, "The Facebook Obsession," on my Netflix account, I was struck again by the public's view of their perceived privacy on the Internet and social media platforms, like Facebook. This particular documentary detailed the story of Dr. June Talvitie-Siple, a former Massachusetts school administrator, and her subsequent firing after she posted negative comments about her school's students and parents on her Facebook page. This story certainly is not new. Most recently, Marine Corps Sergeant Gary Stein received an other-than-honorable discharge after criticizing his commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama, on his Facebook page. Whether through ignorance of privacy policies or belief in freedom of speech, these incidents, including recent stories of employers requesting private Facebook logins during the interview process, show there is ambiguity today regarding our privacy rights. In fact, a survey released in April by Siegel+Gale, a global strategic branding firm, found that "users have little understanding of how Facebook and Google track and store user information and activity, and how information is shared and with whom." This heated debate over privacy concerns and the goldmine that exists within our customers' data certainly does not have an evil villain; well, not a single one that is. Facebook has been known to be nonchalant regarding criticisms over their privacy policies; Google moved forward in its roll-out of its revamped privacy policy, despite European Union privacy regulators' concern over potential violations of its data protection laws; some Washington politicians accuse and lay the blame over privacy concerns at the door of Silicone Valley; and now, back for round two, the US House of Representatives in April passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which allows the government and corporations to easily exchange confidential customer records and communications. No matter the source of our privacy headaches, the fact remains it is a concern. According to a new survey from Consumer Reports, 71% of respondents reported they are "very concerned" about companies that sell their information unbeknownst to users. As businesses, we all recognize the power and return on investment that our customers' data holds. The way we collect, store, analyze and use this data often determines our success and longevity as an enterprise. Yet, so many of us, myself included, believe the ownership of this very data we value is often considered an unalienable right as a human being. Though privacy is not listed in our unalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence, so many believe it is implied and that we alone, as humans, have a right to own our personal data no matter what services we may use. The fragile veil between us, the business, and our customer is rapidly disappearing. Is there a line between private and public anymore? Some tech companies would argue, "No." I'm sure consumers would have a different opinion. As our culture evolves its communication behaviors and morays on privacy, companies are left to wonder, "How much is too much? In this issue, DOCUMENT looks to discover the varied concerns, technologies and strategies that are impacting our global communications. Until next time,
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