Just using Google I 'Googled myself' just to see how much information was readily available for the world to view!
As seen in my Google screen shots above all of the information available from the 1st page of Google and Google Images was mainly from Social Networking sites, Blogs from another subjects and a job application I was a finalist for. This specific example shows how easily it is to loose control of your privacy and how easy it would be for strangers to get their hands on information about you. Each of my social networking sites are set as private and it is frustrating to know all my private information is still being advertised if searched and exposed for the world to see. I dont even have a Myspace account any more however all the images and information is stored on their servers and still out there for the world to view!!
Privacy is a main concern especially when it comes to how much is readily available about you on the internet and what really concerns me is the number of young children who fake their age in order to make themselves a Facebook page when they don't completely understand the effects that it may have on them.
Already some bosses or companies will view or request to view your Facebook profile before they employ you as a part of their company. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for all the 13-16 year olds who post obscenities, rude images and offensive language on their Facebook on a daily basis when they go to get a job and they are denied as a result of their immaturity as a teenager.
Last week it was announced that Germany has made the Facebook Facial Recognition service on tagging photos illegal. In relation to the issue Johannes Caspar (2011) said "that this feature allows Facebook to gather data and this can only threaten the anonimity of Facebook users".
What do you think about privacy on the internet and what is your opinion on Facebook's facial recognition service being banned in Germany?
That FB facial recognition service is so scary! I uploaded some photos the other day - and I just was amazed and creeped out by the fact it could do that. I can't say I am a fan. I'd be fine with them banning it here! hahaha
ReplyDeleteHowever, I believe that the future holds something similar to that concept, where cameras will be able to detect your face from a crowd and know who you are. Facebook is only the start.
I feel quite strongly about what you mentioned about young children and adolescents posting things and saying things online, not understanding the consequences and effects. Definitely a big topic there!
It's interesting prospect about employers viewing Facebook profiles before employing new people. Makes me think of my own profile and how many inappropriate stuff I have on there! I heard one of Google's Ceo's suggesting the only way around it is physically changing your name to seperate it from your previous online content.. Might be an option for me!
ReplyDeletePrivacy on the internet isn't really taken as serious as it should be especially when it comes to facebook because of the amount of content that we upload. Because we are studying this degree we are aware of what the stance is on facebook and privacy but there are people out there like my parents for example that have no idea this is happening. Knowing the privacy stance now I do regret to some extent of ever having a facebook page and the possibility of my facebook possibility jeopardizing future employment!
ReplyDeleteI think that privacy on the internet, and in particular, Facebook, is a pretty scary issue to be honest. We love to use Facebook for the cheap convenience such a powerful network provides us with as we can contact friends across the country and overseas for free... but we rarely consider how Facebook makes its money- ads.
ReplyDeleteTruth be told, we are not the customers of these sites, but the product! So despite an apparent ability to keep your details private, more often than not, these sites find ways around that. I personally have my Facebook settings on private, but this was not easy as Facebook makes it quite hard to work out how to do this fully and permanently. However despite this, I'm not safe due to friends who post pictures of me on their public pages and tag them, and even though I avoid applications (because by using them you're agreeing to let whatever third-party site/company they're from access your information), Facebook itself constantly has eerily accurate advertising for my tastes and interests.
Some of those former 13-16 year olds are already suffering the consequences of inappropriate behaviour on social network sites, as it is now pretty standard practice for employers to check potential employees' Facebook pages. It's only now that actual users of these sites seem to be catching on to how the information they post can be used against them... but for many, this is too late.
While I'm very much against the ways in which Facebook has taken advantage of people's lack of knowledge about privacy settings and their terms of service, I think the information on Facebook about myself and others is mostly inconsequential. The biggest issue that concerns me is that this information is used for data mining, contributing to the effectiveness of advertisers and corporations trying to sell people things. This I find to be wholly unethical and manipulative.
ReplyDeleteThis is something Darren and I spoke a little bit about in class. What is interesting is that most people would like to keep things about themselves fairly private. I myself have my facebook profile on private and in fact if you try and search for me you won't find me. On the other hand a good friend of mine is in fact forced to use facebook (He is a singer/recording artist) and other forms of social media. For him it is a way of gaining exposure, communicating with fans etc. His profile is completely public. Why I decided to mention this is that his profile is monitored by his management and label, in case something inappropriate pops up. Which means if he happens to do or say something that could be considered offensive or dangerous he will be told to remove it almost immediately. So not only does he have very little choice about his profile settings, but he has limited choice in what he can do and say on Facebook. At the end of the day though, people are interested in what he says and does. So for him and the interests of his career, allowing everyone to view his profile exceeds the negatives.
ReplyDelete