Personal Information and Security Threats in Social Networking - Essay Example

Introduction As online social networking sites become more familiar, there have emerged some very serious concerns about the prospects of protecting personal information disclosed through profiles on these sites and the security threats involved which render these social networking sties vulnerable not only from predators and scam artists, but from nosy employers and campus authorities (Kharif, 2006). The potential threat posed to the privacy related issues of users of these sites has been witnessed not only from the predators and swindlers with malicious intention (Tina), but also from university officials and campus cops scouring blogs and sites in order to find underage drinking and other student misbehavior, recruiters trying to find any moral lapses in their employees, and the very networking sites trying to make money through selling the personal information of their members. Quite recently, an announcement by the Facebook to make available the personal information of about 40 million of its members has intensified the concerns over the privacy policies of these sites (Arthur, 2007). Although, members of these sites disclose their personal information voluntarily, the sole responsibility lies with the networking sites to protect this information. However, this is not the case at present and in the subsequent pages I will discuss the privacy concerns in the context of problems reported from MySpace and the Facebook which are the most popular sites among hundreds of such sites. Discussion (Introduction to Social networking sites) Danah Boyd (2006), in her blog has defined the social networking sites as "a category of websites with profiles, semi-persistent public commentary on the profile, and a traversable publicly articulated social network displayed in relation to the profile". Members of these sites generally create a profile upon registering with a network and may be able to upload one or more pictures as well. This profile may be viewed either by a specifically-designated category of users or by any registered or even unregistered user of the site. Participants form groups and individual links between users based on their interests, affiliations, and so on. When a new user joins an online social networking site and sets up a profile, he or she can share personal information with others. Therefore, each site has a different privacy policy and various privacy features. Further, online social networking sites offer ways for individuals to differentiate their profiles-like decorating a room-through the use of personalization tools (MySpace profile). Some sites offer a great deal of personalization, while others prefer uniformity across the board. The main focus of online social networking sites is to bring people together within user-driven, participatory forums, usually targeted toward particular subgroups like college students, activists, pet owners, and so on. Members of these social networks form their online community by creating profiles, or virtual personas, and connecting with others. Thus, the significant characteristic of these sites is to facilitate the formation of social ties, whether strong or weak. Mark Granovetter, in his article "The Strength of Weak Ties" argues that both strong and weak ties are necessary in order to provide individuals with diverse information and to facilitate social networking (Granovetter, 1973). These social networking sites help people share their writing, hold conversations, debate with each other, buy and sell goods, and more. At present, there are hundreds of online social networking sites available, each with a slightly different look and feel. Some of the more popular sites are MySpace, Facebook, and Classmates.com. The sites with the highest numbers of members usually offer an angle to entice users to register, return often, and incorporate the site into their lives. With the increasing popularity of these sites, privacy related issues have also been reported widely in the media and on the net. There are two aspects of social networking sites: a desire on the part of teenagers to be publicized, and a concern of maintaining privacy to ensure that their personal information may not be harmful for them. Thus, there is a strong need to work out both of the aspects of social networking sites and educate our teens to navigate these social structures safely (Boyd, 2008) The main concern of privacy related issues is that the voluntary information posted on these sites can be exploited in many ways. Many networking sites exploit this information even without the knowledge and consent of their members. One such example has just recently been witnessed by Quechup who started gathering email addresses of its members and invited them to join Quechup without the consent and knowledge of its members (Arthur, 2007). Similarly, when a member creates an account on these sites, he is less likely to read the terms and conditions of that site which would later misuse the personal information in any way like Quechup. Thus, there are potential privacy concerns which need to be addressed and discussed widely so that new members may not fall a prey unknowingly to these sites and the predators and swindlers consequently. Argument 1 with supporting evidence Employers and the Use of Social-networking Sites College students and other potential job applicants may see the information posted in the profiles just as a joke to be viewed only by their friends. However, prospective employers are becoming increasingly aware of these sites and are taking advantage of the massive amount of newly available information to assist them in their hiring decisions (Kharif, 2006). As social networking sites become more and more commonplace in today's society, there is increasing attention being given to reports of employers rejecting applicants or firing employees based on information discovered on these sites (george's employment blawg, 2006). Although employers have begun using social networking sites to assist with hiring decisions, the potential legal ramifications of such a practice are unclear, to say the least. No case has been brought on the basis of such a use of these social networking sites. With the increasing popularity of social-networking sites especially of MySpace and Facebook, there has become a growing trend among employers to conduct online background checks of job applicants by searching their MySpace and/or Facebook profiles (george's employment blawg, 2006). Searches of applicant profiles have often resulted in unfavourable outcomes for applicants. According to a 2005 study conducted by ExecuNet, an executive job-search agency, "75 percent of recruiters already use Web searching as part of the applicant screening process," and "more than a quarter of these same recruiters say they have eliminated candidates based on information they found online" (Jimmy Greenfield & David Haugh, 2006). It is clear that employers are increasingly checking the social networking profiles of their applicants and that those applicants may suffer as a result of the information they have posted on the Internet. Therefore, applicants who maintain a positive, professional social networking profile may not only find their potential employers more receptive to their applications, but may also obtain additional employment opportunities from other employers who find them on social networking sites (employees profile) . Prudent applicants may also consider searching their names on social networking sites and search engines (like Google) to see what information appears. Doing so will allow applicants to prevent fraudulent accounts with their name from harming their employment chances, and may give applicants an opportunity to warn potential employers that a social networking profile of someone with the same name is not the applicant's profile. Argument 2 with supporting evidence Social Networking and Exposure of Children to Dangers While posting information on social-networking websites can facilitate personal expression and relationship building, these sites also create an environment in which adult sexual offenders easily can initiate communication with potential child victims (Teen Bullying Prevention) . For example, a fourteen-year-old girl and her mother currently are suing MySpace, MySpace's parent company News Corporation, and the girl's rapist for $ 30 million because the rapist first communicated with the girl on MySpace (Security Focus, 2006). With the commencement of this lawsuit and the recognition of countless other cases of adults sexually assaulting minors after initial interaction on MySpace, teens, parents, and lawmakers cannot deny that relationships now exist in an alternative online world and communal responsibilities thus have changed dramatically (Brubaker, 2006). The liability of social-networking websites when teenagers are sexually victimized after interacting with adults in these online forums is significant enough to call into question privacy and related concerns on such sites. MySpace attracts users of many ages (Sellers, 2006). Thirteen percent of MySpace users are minors, while over fifty percent of MySpace users are thirty-five-years-old or older. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, sixty-one percent of children between the ages of thirteen-and seventeen-years-old have posted a personal profile on a social-networking website like MySpace (Sellers, 2006). Furthermore, over eighty percent of teenagers use the Internet for at least one hour per day, and over sixty percent of teenagers visit online social-networks (Sellers, 2006). In June 2006, MySpace instituted heightened privacy. These privacy rules prohibit adult access to the profiles of fourteen-or fifteen-year-olds unless an adult provides the younger person's full name or email address and the minor lists the adult as a "friend". Although prohibited, adults can register as fourteen-and fifteen-year-olds, request friendship status with other fourteen-and fifteen-year-olds, and gain access to the minors' full profiles. To combat this problem, MySpace users of all ages now have the option of allowing only limited viewing of their profiles (Ramasastry, 2006). While fewer children are sexually solicited online as compared to five years ago, the Internet remains a dangerous place for youth to tread (Wolak, 2006). Statistics affirm that nine percent of thirteen- to fifteen-year-olds has met in person with someone known only through the Internet; while twenty-two percent of sixteen-to seventeen-year-olds have had such encounters (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2008). Research on online victimization reveals that troubled youth and youth with high Internet use exhibit an increased likelihood of sexual solicitation (Cooper 445). Online sexual solicitation is targeted at girls at almost twice the rate of boys (Cooper 441). Children are younger than fourteen years of age in one-in-four instances of online sexual solicitation (Cooper 441). In these cases, juveniles perpetrated about half of the victimization; adults perpetrated about one-quarter of the victimization; and, in the remaining one-quarter of the cases, the victims did not know the ages of their violators (Cooper 444). Argument 3 with supporting evidence Targeting Advertisement and Privacy Concerns As MySpace swelled in popularity, major investors took notice (Sellers, 2006). Although Anderson and DeWolf feared losing the personality of their grassroots website and its growing culture, the two founders could not ignore both the exceptional earning potential in the sale of MySpace and the partners' need for capital to continueMySpace's tremendous growth (Sellers, 2006). In July 2005, the multi-media conglomerate News Corporation paid $ 580 million for MySpace (Sellers, 2006). Recognizing that "MySpace has simply exploded since the deal," many commentators agree that News Corp. actually may have underpaid for the site (Gunther, 2006). Because partnerships with eBay.com or Amazon.com are likely in the future, MySpace is assembling its sales force to draw national advertisers and sell the information collected from MySpace users to companies wishing to target products to specific groups (Sellers, 2006). Similarly, Facebook and some other networking websites have previously attempted to provide targeted advertisement on the basis of a user's age, location, gender and other traits (facebook ad.) . This kind of behavior from social-networking sites not only is a concern on the grounds of privacy but in fact many of the same users often do not have the slightest clue just how much of the data they put on these profiles can be used to provide targeted advertisement. Social networking sites like Facebook have become amongst the most lucrative properties on the Web thanks to their ability to engage large, young online audiences with whom advertisers are keen to develop lasting relationships. Conclusion The preceding discussion illustrates the variety of purposes for social network services. While the sites are an increasingly popular means for getting back in touch with old friends, meeting new friends, and making business contacts, each type of site has its share of privacy concerns. In many cases, these concerns are directly proportional to the amount of private information registered members themselves choose to display online. The trade-off that most sites offer between increased privacy and decreased ability to connect with other members presents a tension for registered members who would like to reap the full benefit of their membership to connect with as many people as possible. Unfortunately, potential employers or even stalkers have access to the same personal information as friends and colleagues. In addition, services that link members' e-mail lists to their server may not only violate those members' company policies but also inadvertently lose the lists in security breaches by spammers. Ultimately, awareness by members of social network services that any information they choose to reveal on the site could potentially be viewed by anyone-friend or foe-would go a long way in curtailing some of the privacy issues. Works Cited Arthur, C. (2007). 'Do Social network sites genuinely care about privacy', The Guardian, September 13, 2007. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/13/guardianweeklytechnologysection.news1 Boyd, D. (2008). 'Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life', in David Buckinghan (ed.) Youth, Identity, and Digital Media, MA: MIT Press, pp. 119-142. Boyd, D. (2006) 'Social Network Sites: My Definition', Apophenia.org. November 10, 2006. Retrieved on 31 May 2008 from: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2006/11/10/social_network_1.html Brooks, Karen. (2006). 'Look at Me', Courier Mail, August 19, 2006. Brubaker, Brandy. (2006). 'Danger on the Web: Sexual Predators Prey on Teens Who Use Social-Networking Sites', Dominion Post, August 27, 2006. Cooper, Sharon. Medical, Legal & Social Science Aspects of Child Sexual Exploitation: A Comprehensive Review of Pornography, Prostitution, and Internet Crimes. St. Louis, Mo: G.W. Medical Publishing Inc., 2005. "Facebook Statistics." Facebook. 28 May 2008 . George's employment blawg "Employers Using Facebook for Background Checking, Part I" online http://www.employmentblawg.com/2006/employers-using-facebook-for-background-checking-part-i/ accessed on 2nd June, 2007 Granovetter, Mark. (1973). 'The Strength of Weak Ties', American Journal of Sociology, Vol, 73(6), pp. 1360-80. Greenfield, Jimmy & David Haugh. (2006). 'When What Happens on MySpace Doesn't Stay on MySpace', Chicago Tribune, March 28, 2006. Retrived 31 May 2008 from: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30459230_ITM Gunther, Marc. (2006). 'News Corp. (Hearts) MySpace', Fortune, March 29, 2006. Retrived 31 May 2008 from: http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/28/technology/pluggedin_fortune/ Kharif, Olga. (2006). 'Big Brother is Reading Your Blog', Business Week Online, Feburary 28, 2006. Retrived May 26, 2008 from: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060228_241578.htm National Center for Missing & Exploited Child. (2008). 'New Study Reveals 14% of Teens Have Had Face-to-Face Meetings with People They've Met on the Internet'. Retrived on 31 May 2008 from: http://us.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServletLanguageCountry=enUS&PageId=2383 Ramasastry, Anita. (2006). 'A Fourteen-Year-Old Girl's Suit Against MySpace: Should Networking Sites Be Legally Responsible for Protecting Teens from Harmful Real-World Conduct' FindLaw-Legal News and Commentary, June 26, 2008. Retrived on 28 May 2008 from: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20060626.html Security Focus (2006). "MySpace, a place without MyParents". Online: http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/408 accessed 2nd June, 2007 Sellers, Patricia. (2006). 'MySpace Cowboys." Fortune, August 29, 2006. Retrived 30 May 2008 from: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/09/04/8384727/index.htm Wolak, J., Mitchell, K. & Finkelhor, D. (2006). 'Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later', National Center for Missing & Exploited Child. Retrived on 28 May 2008 from: http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC167.pdf Images and video links 1. Tina Meier holding two pictures of her daughter: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStoryid=4869014 2. MySpace profile: http://www.killerkiwi.net/myspace/layouts/preview/201058/gray-pitch/ 3. Employees' profile on MySpce www.nevblog.com/images/facebook-screenshot.jpg 4. Teen Bullying Prevention (video clip) http://www.youtube.com/watchv=rpSgs_UIVvY 5. Facebook aims to match ads to users http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/11/07/facebook_aims_to_match_ads_to_users/ 6. Ryan's pictures: http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org/Pictures.htm Read More