CWU Science Pinterest Policy & Privacy Discussion

Introduction

When storing, utilizing, or handling personal information organizations number one priority is to secure the user’s privacy. A privacy policy should always be implemented before the handling of personal information whether by the company or a third party. Pinterest is an organization that serves millions of users and share information with other entity, that has a privacy policy that can be emulated by Padgett-Beale to create their privacy policy.

Analysis

Pinterest is one of the largest social media sites that allow users to upload, save, sort, manage images, and other content. I think the privacy policy that is in place is a great one but users are not aware of it because they have not read the entire policy to protect their information. In the privacy policy, Pinterest illustrates the different ways they collect information, how they intend to use the information they collect, how and when they share the information they collect, and much more. Despite the privacy policy that Pinterest has implemented, it is still easy for personal information to get shared with third-party entities. By signing up to use Pinterest the user voluntarily shares information like your name, email address, phone number, photos, pins, and comment. Based on the policy and different aspects of the internet services, and electronic network activities there is more information that can be collected including data logs, cookie data, device information, and clickstream data. Collecting so much information on an individual can seem excessive and may cause privacy issue especially if the individuals are not aware of the collection (Pinterest, n.d.).

The fact that Pinterest makes it their priority to stay updated with their policy is commendable but they do not make the changes fully aware to users I believe pose a policy issue. In the policy statement Pinterest allude to changing policies from time to time and posting the changes on their page but if the changes are significant they would provide notice or get the user’s consent but I believe significant or not should matter. They should make the users aware despite the significance of the changes. The Pinterest policy state that if a user is still using the service after the policy takes effect then the user agrees to the policy which seems to be a little misleading. But I believe that every other platform has the same wording in their policies because most of these platforms are connected with the sharing of information (Pinterest, n.d.).

The overall approach to privacy by Pinterest is very straight forward which is illustrated. It is very understandable and easy to read by anyone wishing to understand their policy. Indeed, they don’t notify the user of each detail but the details are written in their policy. Pinterest bottom line is to make money off the information they collect and at the moment they are great at what they do. The Pinterest platform makes most of its profits from advertising which helps businesses reach users across the world. Pinterest is the fourth most popular social media platform and using it to further business is ideal. The Pinterest privacy policy help keeps business honest that is trying to use their services (Sehl, 2019). The business that utilizes the service abides by the same policy as Pinterest, meaning if the user information is no longer needed Pinterest and companies that they share information with will either remove the information from their system or depersonalize it (Pinterest, n.d.).

Though Facebook and twitter have a high marketing ability, Pinterest is 100 times more spreadable than a tweet or lasts longer than a post on Facebook. I would recommend Pinterest as a platform to Padgett-Beale’s department because when a company joins for a business account, they receive added marketing features to promote the company’s brand. Business utilizing the business account benefits from educational marketing material which teaches how to maximize its effectiveness for business marketing through interactive workshops connecting to a larger audience, webinars, and resources for small business (Daley, 2020). If a company is using Pinterest as a service for marketing purposes, then there should be no reason not to use the service during the workday. But if the service is being used for personal reasons then there should be rules set in place to mitigate these practices since an employee would be utilizing the company’s resources and time. To help the employee understand what is required of them during working hours, Padgett-Beale can implement a social media policy that spells out what is required of employees and the using of social media for work and personal objectives (Bouman, 2020).

Conclusion

The privacy policy of Pinterest is well written and should be one that Padgett-Beale can emulate. All the detail of utilizing personal information, protecting personal information, and removing personal information are written in the policy for everyone to adhere to but if a user of the service is not fully aware of the policy then I can see why they would have difficulties understanding the policy that is set in place.

Reference

Pinterest. (n.d.). Privacy policy. Retrieved April 22, 2020, from

https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy

Sehl, K. (2019, December 10). How to Use Pinterest for Business: 8 Strategies You Need to Know. Retrieved April 22, 2020, from

https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-pinterest-for-business/

Daley, R. (2020, January 24). The Ultimate Pinterest Marketing Guide: How to Improve Your Reach and Promote Your Brand. Retrieved April 22, 2020, from

https://neilpatel.com/blog/ultimate-pinterest-marketing-guide/

Bouman, J. (2020, April 7). Need Social Media Policy Examples? Here Are 7 Solid Inspiring Samples. Retrieved April 22, 2020, from

Need Social Media Policy Examples? Here Are 7 Terrific Social Policies To Inspire Yours