Is this a breach of privacy?

[Oldfellah]

Or is it considered to be in the public domain?

https://tinyurl.com/y3whahb4

A company commissioned by the Government has been monitoring social media comments about the COVID-19 response for almost two years, reporting back every four days.

Documents released to RNZ show Annalect surveilled public comments on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and other sites, about current topics like 'COVID response', 'virus', 'vaccine rollout', 'economy', 'business and consumers', 'contact tracing' and 'team of 5 million', posted by New Zealanders.

[Olive]

I don't see it as a breach of privacy unless they were hacking into private accounts, which doesn't seem to be the case. Public comments on social media are exactly that: public. Data on social media are constantly being harvested and anyone who thinks their information is private is naive.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

No. The clue is in the word social - the relationship is an open, public, social one, with no justifiable expectation of privacy.

Under Principle 11, an agent must restrict their use of personal data to the business that data has been supplied for. So, the harvesting of data from social media is part of that business, just as the people posting and hosting expect it to be. Posters want to be heard. They are being heard. And responded to.

It isn't a private transaction.

[Oldfellah]

Olive , hunnihunni , thanks for that as I wasn't too sure of it, I suppose anyone that puts their life on the net even if they press all the privacy buttons and do all the privacy checks it really means sweet F.A.

[harm_less]

Social media is the first port of call for most employers or their enrollment agents these days. Many a job seeker has had their efforts undermined by their past social media activity. No breach of privacy there any more than uncovering of a past incidence of police action against an individual.

As is said 'once it is put on the internet it is there forever, for all to see'.

[Outsider]

Olive , hunnihunni , thanks for that as I wasn't too sure of it, I suppose anyone that puts their life on the net even if they press all the privacy buttons and do all the privacy checks it really means sweet F.A.

I think you'd be surprised by how many government and other organisations are trolling through forums and social media. I'm very careful what I write.

[harm_less]

Olive , hunnihunni , thanks for that as I wasn't too sure of it, I suppose anyone that puts their life on the net even if they press all the privacy buttons and do all the privacy checks it really means sweet F.A.

I think you'd be surprised by how many government and other organisations are trolling through forums and social media. I'm very careful what I write.

When I renewed my Second Hand Dealer's Licence a few years back the policeman involved made it very clear that they actively monitor people's Trade Me activity, and the IRD also do so.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

And so they should. There are some very dodgy folk out there, but way more genuine really good folk to balance them out.

Just one thing about social media... Check your settings on your personal page. Always keep those private and security tight. It isn't foolproof, but it helps keep the cockroaches out...

[Oldfellah]

And so they should. There are some very dodgy folk out there, but way more genuine really good folk to balance them out.

Just one thing about social media... Check your settings on your personal page. Always keep those private and security tight. It isn't foolproof, but it helps keep the cockroaches out...

Not always, I had my Facebook hacked by some scumbag and I had what I thought was an uncrackable password but they managed to do it anyway, and this was with a 2 way verification set up from Facebook so I guess if some bastard wants to they can.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

There are people who clone accounts in order to hijack contacts, but farcebook can usually fix that for you fairly fast.

[Oldfellah]

Well Facebook did stuff all, I got onto them straight away but just like the big corporation that they are they ignored one of the little people that made them who they are, but the whole thing pissed me off because I lost years and years of posts, some I had backed up but a lot I hadn't, so that was my fault.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

When mine was cloned they were really good, eliminated the copy, and helped me change my pw, didn't lose anything.

Luck of the draw maybe...