Facebook profile pictures are visible to anyone, no matter what you do!

For all the stalkers out there, there’s good news. But given your stalking tendencies, I’m sure you are already aware of the much-anticipated blessing. Yes, it’s finally happening. Gone are the days when viewing profile photos was such not such a luxury and required some technical efforts. Bid a happy farewell to the primitive times when a peek into just anybody’s personal and private life actually required the mercy of consent. Apparently, now Facebook profile photos are visible to everyone, no matter what “privacy” settings a user opts for!

I’ll drop the act now. This latest privacy breach is no blessing in any way and is definitely worrisome for all users who respect and demand the protection of a private social profile. Facebook has always been under fire for its contentious privacy policies. Edward Snowden and the Oscar-winning Citizenfour documentary based on his professions about cyber surveillance have only furthered scrutiny into tech/social media giants. As a matter of fact, Facebook is under fresh attack from Belgium’s privacy policy watchdog (Belgian Privacy Commission) for allegedly breaching European law due to its lax user consent policies and tracking “rights”.

While such an investigative approach into privacy policies in Pakistan is not a subject of preference for concerned authorities, it is safe to claim that the issue of photo privacy is of utmost significance to a majority of Pakistani Facebook users. In the pre-photo privacy breach era, how many profiles (with the exception of the fake PrEciOus PeArl/Cute Doll kind) did we ever come across that permitted access to profile photos? The answer to that question, more than anything, should be a proof of how comfortable users are sharing their photos with other users (the rest of the world now).

Being somebody who spends a significant time of her day on Facebook, I love and appreciate all the entertainment and networking opportunities the social network offers. However, who we socialize and share information with should always be a matter of choice rather than imposition. Having my photos viewed by every Tom, Dick, Harry and Precious Pearl on the planet, is not something I will ever come to love, appreciate or accept.