Privacy has been central to much of the controversy that has surrounded the activity of websites like Google and Facebook in recent years. Concerns have been raised by people of all backgrounds because of reports that have suggested the information they access and provide online can be shared out. Privacy policies do exist on these websites, but many find that they are difficult to read and opt-out facilities are hard to find.
The latest news concerning privacy online is that the NHS website here in the UK also shares information with the likes of Google and Facebook. According to reports, if you log onto the NHS Choices website while you are still logged in to Facebook, then the sites share information between them. Essentially, this means that Facebook is aware of the particularly things you have been looking for via the NHS site.
The presence of the Facebook ‘Like’ button on the NHS page is evidence of this activity. However, if you sign out of Facebook before looking anything up on NHS Choices then the passage of information will not take place. Critics of this kind of activity lament the fact that many websites operate with opt-out facilities instead of opt-in facilities, which mean users’ privacy may be compromised without their full awareness.
