subject: Is Your Private Information Really Private When We Talk A Social Networking Site? [print this page] A lot of people these days are always connected through a Bluetooth, on Facebook, or on Twitter, keeping up with loved ones and acquaintances. Websites like these are always asking for additional personal info from users which often can been seen as a security risk. Facebook indicates that it requests this info in order to provide more relevant advertisements based on what users are actually interested in knowing more about.
For years people have continued to question whether or not "giving up" such information is necessary, and opinions vary as much as the websites themselves. Fans of social networking, but with a strong opposition to such liberal display of personal info, deeply desire more safety measures be taken. On the other hand, webmasters believe that ALL personal info is essential in providing a superior website.
One thing that many people are unaware of is that many sites also use IP tracking which means they can track not only your exact location, but who you are online with, and what you are saying. One of these sites is nobull-ip-tracking.com/19/index.htm, but there are many others that serve the same purpose.
There's still plenty of room for improvement regarding that "fine line" between the free speech to say whatever we want, and safeguarding the personal information of internet users everywhere. Nothing states this more clearly than the MILLIONS of new lawsuits being filed every year. Recently, one particular site under a considerable amount of scrutiny regarding how personal information is managed is Facebook.
The website is constantly reconfiguring space and allowing access to information even on "privacy blocked" participants. As a result, the National Trade Commission has imposed new regulations that relate to the types of changes Facebook can make which has limited their ability to improve their product.
More than 500 million people are on Facebook on a monthly basis, which makes it a very large social networking site. Because of the number of users, a lot of the changes Facebook initiated were meant to handle the masses and to address the fluctuating legal regulations. Unfortunately, this had led to certain issues with the website that were unforeseeable. Some of these issues were related to a confusing interface, and a news update feature that put personal info into public areas. Most people do not realize that after they enter personal info onto any website, it can be accessed by anyone with the knowledge to do so.
An illustration of this is the Beacon Advertising System, which was used to document personal info of anyone who performed an Internet-based search. The info was relayed to people in that person's address book along with a link and a statement similar to, "Check out what Sam has been up to online". The contacts could then be taken to the website the person had been viewing. A lot of people on Facebook believed that this betrayed their privacy since not everyone wants their family and friends to know what he or she is searching on the web. Luckily, Facebook discontinued this practice; however they suffered greatly because of it.
Facebook, as well as other social network sites, have taken the privacy issue to heart but, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the users to protect against voluntarily divulging personal information that could lead to an invasion of privacy. Social networking has become the norm and the Internet needs to find a way to cope with ever-increasing demands. In the meantime, remembering that once information is revealed on the web it many find its way around the world should serve as a warning to users to think carefully before submitting anything.
