Facebook misleading to users looking to delete accounts

As college comes to an end for seniors, many are preparing to go into the professional world, giving up late mornings and later nights. One part of the college life that more and more students are finding it difficult to give up, however, is Facebook.

Aside from the arguably addictive nature of the social networking Web site, Facebook has come under fire recently for the difficulty involved in permanently deleting accounts.

But with employers now using social networking sites to screen potential candidates for jobs, the kinds of information available to the public could be a concern when a student looks for a job or internship.

"There hasn't been a court case big enough to set precedent for the legality of looking at profiles and making hiring decisions," said Matthew Brink, director of the Career Development Center. "Candidates and employers are still feeling it out."

Brink said that he knows of at least two potential job candidates who were taken out of consideration for jobs when employers checked out profiles on Facebook or Myspace.

Facebook offers two options for removing accounts from the site, deletion or deactivation. When an account is deactivated, Facebook keeps all of the information supplied and a user can reactivate the account by logging in and confirming via e-mail.

Sean Thomas, '08, decided to remove his profile from Facebook in October 2005, around the time that the photos feature was enabled on the site, allowing users to post photos identifying their friends.

"Having pictures available seemed like a bit of an invasion of privacy," said Thomas, "even more so than Facebook in general."

Although he had assumed that this had removed all of his personal information, when he was contacted for this article, Thomas discovered he had only deactivated his account. By logging into Facebook and confirming his e-mail address, he found he could retrieve his account information from 28 months ago.

"I feel a bit violated," said Thomas. "Deactivating the account was easy, but I don't remember getting any information about how to delete it permanently."

The terms of agreement to Facebook state that "If you choose to remove your user content… you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your user content."

According to a recent New York Times article, the reason for storing this information may be for Facebook to be able to provide advertising partners with demographic information. On Feb 12, Facebook added a section on permanently deleting accounts to the help section of the Web site, but users must send an e-mail to request that this be done.

There are a number of privacy features that allow students to prevent their information from being viewed by anyone other than their friends, so many students do not see a need to eliminate their accounts altogether.

While networking at the career fair, many students said that they were not concerned about employers checking their personal pages.

"I have a page, but I use tons of privacy settings," said Katelyn Beck, '10. "I always make sure to untag myself from any bad photos so that no one will see them."

A tag is a link on a photo that labels a user in a photo.

"I think that private lives are private and that can be separated from work life," said A.J. Costanzo, '08. "But at the same time, I have heard that employers will check those things."

Some students are worried about more than just employers looking at their profiles. Sarah Chaga, '08, is student teaching and is considering deleting her account so that students cannot try to access her profile.

Dan Harris, '08, said that he has nothing to worry about with potential employers. "I figure that people who delete their accounts might have something to be ashamed of," he said. "Me, I don't have anything to hide."

Brink said that background check companies have turned more and more to Facebook to screen candidates for companies. Privacy settings are a good way to keep out screeners, but that might not always be necessary.

"To put a new spin on this, if a student were to view a Facebook account as a way to separate themselves from the pack of candidates, that could be a good thing," said Brink. "If you have a few favorite quotes, pick one that shows the kind of person you are rather than one that could land you in a 'no' pile. If your profile picture is viewable by everyone, choose a picture that reflects a positive image of yourself."

Brink said that ultimately, it is important to be careful when posting information that could be available to the general public.

"These sites are a way to be honest about who you are, but at the same time, you have to be wary of the kinds of things that could make employers wary," he said.