Although I see how people can be outraged at having their information handed out, whose fault was it? Facebook didn't force people to post all of their private information on the Internet. Not only that, but since when has exposing so much information on the Internet become acceptable? When I was little kid, still starting to use the Internet, everyone constantly bombarded me with the dangers of the Internet. My mother told me to never use my name. In school, not only did I learn not to talk to strangers in real life, but also on the Internet.
Gradually, these strict rules wore off. When I entered the fifth grade I made my first email account. There my name was a mandatory field. I thought to myself, “There must be millions of people named Pedro on the web. What can anyone do with that information?" And so I entered my first name and to my relief I wasn't kidnapped the next day. Slowly I released more and more information. Everyone has an AIM account, I won't put my name on my screen name, that makes it ok, right? A friend emailed me asking me my phone number. Well... I can't say no, how would that make me look? Ooo!! Skype looks fun. But everyone uses his/her name as the username...
Now Facebook comes along. I don't even think twice when I enter my name and email address. Not long, anyone can see my picture and who my friends are, not to mention all the information my friends have posted of me. Things I have no control over. I still haven't put my address or phone number on Facebook, but who knows what will happen in the next few years. Over time I think people have become more and more desensitized to sharing private information.
People need to step back and see how much information they have released to Facebook. Sure, the only people who can see this information are your "friends." How well do you know those 300+ friends? Facebook makes sharing information too easy and impersonal. If people had to stand up in front of all their Facebook friends and physically speak, I am sure they would be much more reluctant to release so much information.
Okay, maybe not everyone on the Internet is as naïve as a five year old and shouldn’t have the same restraints. People should realize that what they put online isn’t completely confidential. They should stop acting like five-year-old, take responsibility, and not blame Facebook.
