Our results regarding how many users are aware that they can change their privacy settings
compared to how many users actually have changed their privacy settings demonstrate that users
are knowledgeable about their options within Facebook, but have chosen not to use them. 84%
of participants reported that they are aware that they can change their privacy settings. Of those 84%, less than 48% have made use of the privacy settings. Figure 4 details the specific types of information that users restricted. Maybe users don’t see any issue with restricting who can see the information they post and are fine with the restrictions that are provided by default. Another conclusion could be that users aren’t aware of the risks of not protecting their personal information that they share. They are not fully educated about how easy it may be for a stalker to follow them or employer or parent to get a hold of what they and others post on their profile. Maybe they haven’t considered how information on their profile can be used against them. This idea is suggested by articles that report consequences of information being openly available on Facebook (Schweitzer 2005).