There are two main challenges surrounding social media and privacy use in information organisations. These concerns are, firstly, that the protection of information and the flow of data within social media leaves individuals and companies vulnerable, and secondly, the ethical issues around enforcing such protections.
The extraordinary growth of social media and users’ activities made privacy-protective measures necessary in the 21st century for the responsible GLAMR sector and everyone. The GLAMR sector contains information organisations such as galleries, libraries, archives, museums, and records that utilise social media platforms to reach out to their target audience for connecting, communicating, broadcasting news, seeking information, and promoting events (Auxier & Anderson, 2021). The user’s personal information, interests, political views, purchasing habits, and online behavioural activities are stored on the website when accessing media and unintentionally leave digital footprints. The International Association of Privacy Professionals (n.d.) defined governing privacy as “user personal data and information being protected from malicious attack and exploitation of data used in inappropriate ways”. Social networking companies could manipulate individuals’ data activities to drive user engagement geared towards their goals (Saura et al., 2021). The data from users is vulnerable and will be subject to exploitation by third parties or be unlawfully accessed by criminals. Hence, protection is an important challenge in this space, and it is vital to understand how to adequately combat online vulnerability and engage with protective measures.
The GLAMR sector implemented strategies and created policies and guidelines to counter these privacy protection challenges, and these documents reference various legislation, such as the Privacy Act 1988 in Australian legislation (Privacy Act 1988, 1988), American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights (EDIAZ, 2016), and the Australian Library and Information Association’s libraries and privacy guidelines (Slingsby, 2021). These documents serve to protect the treatment and use of personal information shared, including on online social networks. The protection of information on infrastructure that stores digital resources and user information is subject to damage and online attacks from various forms like viruses or malware. In the digital space, information leakages can easily occur, unbidden by the organisation and risking users’ safety. Regular hardware and software updates and data backups are crucial to protect the privacy of users (Fire et al.,2014).
In the case of libraries, they have various policies governing social media and privacy regarding the access and use of online information, like the Code of Ethics and Conduct, which monitors staff conduct, the Information Security Policy that secures and protects the confidentiality, integrity and information within its infrastructure, the Privacy Management Plan for how an organisation is managing personal information and the Social Media Policy, which governs the library staff communication with patrons through social media platforms (Australian Catholic University, 2023; International Association of School Librarianship, n.d.; State Library of New South Wales, 2023). A well-protected culture that does not erode the fine line between the public and private spheres needs library professionals to uphold and adhere to ethical and transparent policies.
While there are policies and guidelines governing the protection of privacy of social media use in the GLAMR sector, there are still vast, ethical challenges that need to be overcome (Rathore et al., 2017). The online databases and print resources need to be reviewed periodically to ensure that transferring from print to an online resource is secured, to prevent unauthorised access when linked with the latest technology. Hence, an adequate budget for this ethical risk is unavoidable and is a huge issue for all organisations (Lee, 2021). The Softlink Australian School Library Survey 2017 reports that more than 62% of school libraries were inadequately funded (Softlink, 2017). It is crucial for the principal, management, and the board to support the allocation of budget for an ethical cause. Social media have become the main platforms for social networking tools for individuals. Social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and dating apps such as Tinder are used by billions of users and continue to grow (Datareportal, 2023; Napoleoncat, 2023; Statista, 2023). Cloud-based and Web 2.0 technologies make it possible for organisations to track user activity using tools like Mixpanel and Adobe Analytics on mobile applications and single-page applications on websites such as Google Analytics and Hotjar (Singh et al., 2010). These business organisations have blurred lines with personal privacies and leave many ethical standards to be desired.
Further, adopting appropriate policies to govern digital information access and control is becoming a mammoth task because technology is changing at a fast pace and moving faster than organisations can update their policies. It is forcing organisations to shift conditions even quicker than before (Ichihashi, 2020). For example, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT are the most recent technologies; organisations are currently reviewing how they will affect users’ security and privacy and the type of measures that are required to be in place to counter unlawful access and misuse of information. This is a real concern; however, it is also inevitable that new technologies will evolve, and proactive action is key, but the type of proactive action, software patches and updates to support this action requires expertise, which is another ethical challenge for digital library professionals to keep up with current trends while applying appropriate privacy protective measures (Wu et al., 2023). Information ethics is a concern because the confidentiality of patrons is the responsibility of library professionals and staff, and safeguarding the privacy of information to avoid misuse of resources is crucial to respecting users (Rubin & Rubin, 2020). There are guiding principles to keep the information confidential, especially in AI technologies, to respect and protect intellectual property with fair representation, non-maleficence, and privacy. All employees are required to sign a code of conduct. If a person does not uphold the standard, this will be the grounds for dismissal (Floridi et al., 2018).
In conclusion, information overload is commonplace on social media platforms, and prospects for privacy and security in digital libraries are challenging. A well-defined policy document aligned with actions from the government and support from management is critical to prevent data breaches, uphold the library’s professional standards and provide a trusting relationship with patrons, therefore reaching the goal of protecting users (Rubin & Rubin, 2020). It is not a singular, definition of privacy that library professionals are adhering to; it is how they perceive privacy and abide by the code of conduct and the ethical duty that one needs to perform.
References:
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