Thoughts on unit using social media and privacy?

[Chadamus]

Social media makes it easier, but is someone wants to get the info they can.

Agreed. Tho I got a good chuckle out of the newspaper comment.

 

Closed FB group and calendar for us. No website.

[Col. Flagg]

Agreed. Tho I got a good chuckle out of the newspaper comment.

 

True story. Parents didn't want the kid on email, social media, nothing. He was a local football hero with his name in the paper every week. His Eagle COH was publicized everywhere. School, name, troop, sports team and what car he drives...all in the article.

 

So much for anonymity. 

[EmberMike]

Agreed. On other hand it is a great tool for publicity. We have a website, public facebook page, a closed facebook group for leaders and parents and a twitter feed.

 

We're heading to an era where if you aren't on the internet you don't exist.

 

 

I've often been surprised how many units don't have much or any online presence. Or one that was created half a decade ago and never updated. 

 

To me it's the most necessary recruiting tool today, with so many parents turning first to the Internet to find information about activities and organizations for their kids. Especially parents new to scouting, who don't know where to look if their kid doesn't happen to come home from school with a flyer.

 

A decent website and/or Facebook page can make it so much easier for a parent to find out about local scout groups and make a quick decision about whether or not it's something they want to explore with their family. And to quickly and easily know who to contact to get involved. At the very least, making it that easy to find the right contact info makes it worthwhile having an online presence. 

 

I can tell you that every unit in my town is terrible about online promoting. And it's something that I'm hoping to encourage units to work on and help out with myself. 

Edited February 17, 2017 by EmberMike

[MattR]

I knew FB had facial recognition software. I didn't think it could recognize a face specifically as @@MattR...not without someone saying who it is. Can it really recognize a specific person?

 

Yep. My first response was Oh, facebook should manage content, not create it. Anyway, Google "facebook auto tagging" or try this mess:

 

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vtldesign.com/digital-marketing/social-media/nh-facebook-marketing/how-to-disable-facebook-facial-recognition-photo-tagging-nhmarketing/&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwi6iuKL-JfSAhVmwlQKHdLGCtEQFggcMAI&usg=AFQjCNE5LUNasKw2ypmPKGMkiUa0NA9New

[Gwaihir]

We're currently engaged in a discussion about the troop calendar being public, ie on the front page of the website.  My argument is that this is the easiest way for the information to be useful.  I don't get the argument that there is any danger to knowing where the troop is camping.  We camp at scout camps, state parks, and some private lands.  That there are going to be scouts or kids at the first two is a given for any and every week of the year, and we control the access when we are camped on private property, so I'm not sure what folks concerns are.

 

I think it's a case by case basis.  Let's say there's a mother and her sons relocated to get away from an abusive ex-husband who wants custody of the children.  Giving abductors access to information concerning the whereabouts of children is concerning.  Amber Alerts are real, and there's a reason my phone buzzes with them.  That's certainly a scenario I could see where public scheduling information would be a problem. 

[Gwaihir]

@@Stosh, you can have someone hang around your unit any time and get names, locations, school info, etc. Social media makes it easier, but is someone wants to get the info they can.

 

Agreed, but that's like saying, "if someone wanted to get into your house, they will, so why bother locking your doors and windows at night".  

[mashmaster]

we use a private system for photos, calendar, and communication.  I do see the parents post them to facebook later.    Facebook, instagram, snapchat .....  all can be used in bad ways and good ways.  Personally, I prefer for public pages to show where the boys have been vs. where they are going.

[Col. Flagg]

Agreed, but that's like saying, "if someone wanted to get into your house, they will, so why bother locking your doors and windows at night".  

 

LOL...sort of. But to continue the analogy, @@Stosh has a castle, moat with alligators, guards, laser trip wires and Dementors flying overhead protecting his house.

 

I think by following the BSA policies one "locks the doors" and keeps a weather eye out. That's our job as Scouters. If mom tags Junior in a photo and someone get a hold of it, that's on mom, not us. 

[Col. Flagg]

Yep. My first response was Oh, facebook should manage content, not create it. Anyway, Google "facebook auto tagging" or try this mess:

 

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vtldesign.com/digital-marketing/social-media/nh-facebook-marketing/how-to-disable-facebook-facial-recognition-photo-tagging-nhmarketing/&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwi6iuKL-JfSAhVmwlQKHdLGCtEQFggcMAI&usg=AFQjCNE5LUNasKw2ypmPKGMkiUa0NA9New

 

Wow...that's scary. That means that FB is keeping a database when you tag someone and using their facial scanning algorithm to find their face in other photos you post. That's interesting the ACLU has not been all over this issue, but I guess they're too busy doing other non-essential stuff. 

 

So I could post a picture of you, tag you and then your face is in FB's system and you can do nothing about it. That's a HUGE infringement of one's civil liberties and right to privacy. I notice that they have not rolled this out to Germany and a few other countries that have strict privacy laws.

 

Time to change my account to German FB.

[Stosh]

We go through all the hoops to make sure the requirements on Cyber activity is carefully checked off for advancement, yet the real problem often times is the parents.  Seriously  I don't want to know what you had for dinner, I don't care how cute your kid is, I get tired of chain posts, I I don't click "like" because I don't want FB and Google to target market me with stupid ads that get blocked anyway.  I saw someone the other day on the "Off the Grid" account on how to connect to FB with only solar generators.  Really?  I thought you wanted off the grid, don't you understand what that means????  Sometimes I wonder if our kids know more about this stuff than the adults to or maybe the whole lot needs some Cyber training.

[Chadamus]

@@Stosh i'm with you on this one. I don't want to know what they had for dinner either. Or lunch or breakfast.

Share a dutch oven recipe with me tho and i'm all ears!

[Gwaihir]

 

I think by following the BSA policies one "locks the doors" and keeps a weather eye out. That's our job as Scouters. If mom tags Junior in a photo and someone get a hold of it, that's on mom, not us. 

 

oh I agree.  But then, the decision is placed on the parents, not the organization.  

[Gwaihir]

Wow...that's scary. That means that FB is keeping a database when you tag someone and using their facial scanning algorithm to find their face in other photos you post. That's interesting the ACLU has not been all over this issue, but I guess they're too busy doing other non-essential stuff. 

 

So I could post a picture of you, tag you and then your face is in FB's system and you can do nothing about it. That's a HUGE infringement of one's civil liberties and right to privacy. I notice that they have not rolled this out to Germany and a few other countries that have strict privacy laws.

 

Time to change my account to German FB.

 

Except that it's still a gray area in the US.  1. because it's a private organization and you sign terms of agreement before using their service. 2. it's a public space and no citizen has the expectation of privacy in public. (this is where the gray area is because the ramifications of no privacy in a public square are the 25-50 people in your immediate vicinity and they're using their memory.  The net is using advanced facial recognition algorithms and billions can see you).  The EU has 95/46/EC, which is strict data protection and privacy law, so you don't see this as much over there.  

 

yes, it is scary, hence the concern for minors.  

[Stosh]

Even as adults one has to be careful.  As an American Red Cross volunteer I am present at all kinds of disasters even around the country.  Present are always the media with their cameras.  Before taking any pictures they always get a signed permission slip to photograph or tape your image.  Do they do this out of respect?  Do they do it out of fear of a lawsuit?  I dunno, but they do it anyway.  I was at a large apartment fire just last week and they panned the area I was standing in next to a Red Cross vehicle and I was wearing a Red Cross vest of identification.  They came with a permission slip and asked me to sign it.  I asked what would happen if I didn't.  They said that part of the video would be edited out or masked.  They are VERY careful with this issue.  The BSA policy as well as individuals need to be too.

Edited February 18, 2017 by Stosh

[Cambridgeskip]

We go through all the hoops to make sure the requirements on Cyber activity is carefully checked off for advancement, yet the real problem often times is the parents.  Seriously  I don't want to know what you had for dinner, I don't care how cute your kid is, I get tired of chain posts, I I don't click "like" because I don't want FB and Google to target market me with stupid ads that get blocked anyway.  I saw someone the other day on the "Off the Grid" account on how to connect to FB with only solar generators.  Really?  I thought you wanted off the grid, don't you understand what that means????  Sometimes I wonder if our kids know more about this stuff than the adults to or maybe the whole lot needs some Cyber training.

I think that the kids know more in terms of accessing what they want to access and filtering out the junk (the silly chain messages etc) than adults do. I do think though that the kids need more training in how to protect themselves on line. Some are really quite naive.