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.
I too have precautions when it comes to sharing my information on the web. On Facebook, I have yet to enter my phone number and address. Another site that makes me nervous is Amazon. They save your credit card information to make purchasing a click away, but I would much rather re-enter my payment information for each new purchase than fret about it being stolen.
ReplyDeleteFacebook can't be blamed for information its user freely puts on their profile, but I feel they should give the user more leeway in terms of photo sharing. Yes, the networking site allows you to remove a tag from unsavory pictures, but it would be nice if you could delete a picture that you didn't upload. Then again it is your fault for putting yourself in a situation that may lead to compromising pictures being posted on Facebook. As the blog acknowledged, it is ultimately the users responsibility to control what is shared on Facebook or other social networks for that matter
Facebook is definitely not to blame.
ReplyDeleteWhat people put onto Facebook is fair game. You posted it, you should take responsibility for it. No one else can take credit for what YOU post.
Facebook isn't using your information to cause harm. Plus, everyone on Facebook must first accept their Terms and Conditions. You agreed to them. Deal with it.
--K Chiang
I have to agree--and I think your use of 'naive' here is really apt. Do people who put personal info online think only their friends are actually going to use it?
ReplyDeleteSam--the Amazon comment--I agree, though I think you don't have to save your credit card info there if you don't want. But don't get me started on credit card number theft--me, twice in the past month. And it's so common no one even blinks when you say someone's charging things to your card. They just blandly say, "We'll send you a new one. Do you need anything else?"
Your anecdote of your internet experience matches mine well. The first rules I was taught on the internet were to not put my real name nor any other personal information. Since then, internet privacy fears have changed drastically and like you, I too now have my real name used for internet sites such as Facebook. I agree too that people being naive is a huge cause of internet privacy issues. People just don't know what they are distributing online and then they blame the internet when they run into problems. If we did not put any info online, then we would not have internet privacy issues. The blame should not be put on the internet companies. They all have Terms and Conditions. People just never read them.
ReplyDeleteAn opinion on our online identities. I feel that with facebook, gradually people will begin to merge their real identity with their online identity. When someone posts a comment on a blog, most will allow them to sign it with their facebook identity. And unlike skype or gmail where you use a username that can be 'catsRus', facebook uses your real name and real identity.
ReplyDeleteI think this makes the internet a more trusting place. Facebook signatures make it a place where we stand behind our actions and comments online, just like in the real world. It makes saying offensive or rude comments accountable. It also makes insightful comments notable.