Privacy Dangers of Social

Privacy Dangers of Social Networking

Dylan Munson

INF103: Computer Literacy

Virginia Booth

March 7, 2011

Privacy Dangers of Social Networking

Millions of people log into some type of social networking site daily. From pictures, to what they did that day, to where they are right now in this world all gets posted. This can be a fun way to keep in contact with old friends, or long distance family members, but it can be very dangerous if the right privacy settings aren’t set up, and all of your personal information and pictures end up with the wrong person. Just like there are people registered to these sites to use them appropriately and for fun, there are people out there that register to these sites looking for online prey, and ways to gain access to personal information. Even with using privacy settings if you aren’t careful with who you “befriend” on these sites, and who you allow access to your information, you may voluntarily allow a predator access. Most would think that it is just the younger generations not being careful on these sites, but it is the older generations as well. Privacy settings, and general concern with the things you write, or the pictures you may post up, not only of yourself, but your friends and family as well are very important when using the social web.

There are many different dangers associated with the social web, certain ones are that are more vital than others. Instances like business, employment, scams, privacy, and most importantly, children, are the main areas of concerns when it comes to the dangers of the social web. Too many people do not think enough when thy dive into sharing their lives online. More kids and teenagers are associated with social networks as opposed to adults, which lead to child predators using these networks for harm.

Social networking consists of more than just MySpace and Facebook. Social networking includes instant messaging, chat rooms, sites like YouTube, and I am sure...