Neighbours, social media and privacy: an unholy trinity?

The growing trend of neighbours connecting online is a welcome development, but it does raise privacy and safety challenges. Darren Moffatt has tips on what to consider when joining a neighbourhood social network.

Maybe you missed it, but a few weeks ago an American site called NextDoor.com announced a new capital raising which values it at $1.1 billion. That’s a lot of money in anyone’s book, and unquestionably heralds (if there was ever any doubt) that the next big social media wave is in the hyper-local space. Sites like NextDoor.com and Housenet.com.au in Australia are part of an emerging generation of new networks that aim to connect people to their local communities.

So you could say that neighbourhood social networks are now ‘officially hot’.

As the founder of a neighbourhood social networking site, I naturally find this to be quite pleasing news. But it’s no surprise to me, because the benefits to both residents and the communities to which they belong are clear: deeper local relationships, a better sense of ‘belonging’ and a more informed and harmonious neighbourhood citizenry.

While the growing fervor for neighbours to connect online is a welcome development, it does present some privacy and safety considerations for both site operators and the individuals who sign up to become members of neighbourhood social networks.

Are neighbourhood social networks safe?

In order to provide users with an immersive local experience that is redolent of the neighbourhood in which they live, all hyper-local social networks require some location data during sign up process.

Privacy-wise, this is important. How much data is too much? And how will the data be handled by the site operator? Any membership to social networks is to a degree a compromise: users trade some personal information in exchange for the experience that the site claims to offer.

Stalking is a factor in developing any answer to these questions. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2.4 per cent of women 18 years old and above have been stalked by a man within the year they conducted the research, and 15 per cent have been stalked by a man at least once in their lifetime. Fifteen years after, the numbers might have doubled or even tripled with technological advancements that provide more convenient ways to stalk.

How do we prevent this happening online?

If you are joining a neighbourhood social networking site, you should make sure that the platform you are signing up to does not require information that will compromise your security. While it’s fun to connect with neighbours and share news and developments in your community online, in my view some private details like your exact home address should rather be discussed through a private message or in a neighbourhood meet-up event.

Here are some of the ‘non-negotiables’ we think you should be looking for when joining an Australian neighbourhood social network:

✗ Does not require street location

✗ Does not publish actual address location

✓Allows users to control privacy settings

Housenet.com.au understands your privacy concerns and offers peace of mind as you interact with people in your neighbourhood. Unlike other providers, Housenet does not require and publish your exact location and allows you to manage the visibility or privacy of your posts. The only location data we request is your suburb, and although user profiles are open to search engines by default, members have the option to change this to ‘invisible’ mode if they wish.

Offshore cyber threats

The Australian Crime Commission reported that major cyber threats to Australia are from offshore. This is another challenge for neighbourhood social networks. We have thought deeply on this and have blocked many whole countries even seeing the site. In addition, Housenet automatically blocks IP addresses from countries that are known sources of cyber-crime.  Housenet will always be for the greater benefit of local residents only.

Conclusion

So as the popularity neighbourhood social networking takes off in the coming months and years, it is perhaps good to know that operators have invested significant thought and and resources in developing solutions that are both fun and safe. As always, you should read the site terms first before joining and exercise your own judgment as to whether your membership of such a site is appropriate for your current circumstances.

Finally, you should use the first few weeks to judge if the ‘trade-off’ between the data you volunteered and the experience provided is a positive exchange that warrants your continued support.