Social Networking - How Safe Are We !

Misuse & abuses of social networking sites is nothing new & we have been an audience to several instances of such cases through the daily newspapers & journals. Well, every action has some reaction & hence if you are seeking for glamor & publicity, you ought to dodge the hurdles!

In relation to the recent phenomenon of Social Networking websites, it appears, that individuals are more concerned with the aspect of socialising than being “let alone” on the internet. An immense amount of personal information is uploaded by users onto these websites, and this indicates an apparent lack of concern for privacy. However, privacy issues bear importance only when privacy is breached, and when the socializing no longer allows for a personal life.

The question of the liability of the website or an individual for a breach of privacy only arises once we establish that there is information on these websites which is liable to be misused. The broad range of information provided on these sites ranges from the type of information revealed or elicited often orbits around hobbies and interests, but can stride from there in different directions.

These include: semi-public information such as current and previous schools and employers (as in Friendster and Facebook, private information such as drinking and drug habits and sexual preferences and orientation as in Orkut and open-ended entries as in LiveJournal.
While users’ have an apparent control of the sharing of their personal information, this extends only to viewing by other users (which in itself poses several threats to privacy as discussed later). The information once in the possession of the site, is itself liable to being misused by third parties who come in contact with the owner of the websites. For example, the privacy policy of both Facebook and Orkut, contain a Section on the sharing on personal information with third parties and allow for this in the ambiguous terms of “to provide you with a better experience and to improve the quality of our services.” Facebook also states that "We may be required to disclose user information pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. We do not reveal information until we have a good faith belief that an information request by law enforcement or private litigants meets applicable legal standards. Additionally, we may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law, to protect our interests or property, to prevent fraud or other illegal activity perpetrated through the Facebook service or using the Facebook name, or to prevent imminent bodily harm. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies. ”

Thus, having established, that all of the information users upload on Social Networking Websites is not necessarily only accessible to other users, but to unknown third parties who may use it to monitor customer habits , it is the submission of the researcher that there is breach of privacy and an unreasonable intrusion into ones personal life on these sites.

Shared by one of my friends !