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2 Wake Forest L. Rev. Online 1 (2012)

handle is hein.journals/wflron2 and id is 1 raw text is: READING OVER YOUR SHOULDER: SOCIAL READERS AND PRIVACY LAW Margot Kaminski* My friends, who are generally well educated and intelligent, read a lot of garbage. I know this because since September 2011, their taste in news about Justin Bieber, Snooki, and the Kardashians has been shared with me through social readers on Facebook.1 Social readers instantaneously list what you are reading on another website, without asking for your approval before disclosing each individual article you read. They are an example of what Facebook calls frictionless sharing, where Facebook users ostensibly influence each other's behavior by making their consumption of content on other websites instantly visible to their friends.2 Many people do not think twice about using these applications, and numerous publications have made them available, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Guardian.3 I intend to prompt conversation about social readers on three fronts. First, social readers are part of a shift toward real name policies online, and, for a number of reasons, should remain opt-in rather than becoming the default setting. Second, if people do choose to use these applications, they should know that they are making that choice against a backdrop of related battles in privacy law concerning the right to consume content without a third party sharing your activity more broadly. And third, when individuals choose to use these applications, they may be sharing their habits more widely than they think. * Research Scholar in Law and Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School, and Executive Director of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School. She thanks Kevin Bankston of the Center for Democracy and Technology for his review and helpful comments. 1. See, e.g., Ian Paul, Wall Street Journal Social on Facebook: A First Look, Today @PCWorld Blog (Sept. 20, 2011, 7:02 AM), http://www.pcworldcom/article/ 240274/wall street journal social on facebook a first look.html. 2. Jason Gilbert, Facebook Frictionless App Frenzy Will Make Your Life More Open, HUFFINGTON POST (Jan. 18, 2012), http://www.huffmn'onpost.com/ 2012/01/18/facebook-actions-arrive-maior-chan es n 1213 183.html. 3. See The Washington Post Social Reader, WASH. POST, itnp://www.washingtornpost.corn/socialreader (last visited Feb. 26, 2012); Press Release, The Guardian, Guardian Announces New App on Facebook to Make News More Social (Sept. 23, 2011), available at http://www.guardiancouk/gnm- press-office/guardian-launches-facebook-app; Paul, supra note 1. 1

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