Facebook Privacy Settings
Facebook is a social networking site for the present time society it has many impacts both negative and positive that affects the users and the society in general. The site was created by three students who had a noble idea. By creating a central communication place where they could meet with other students to share ideas, network and exchange other schools programs. From the interception of facebook site in 2004, millions of people world wide are using the site as a communication arena. Once a member a person can meet new friends and add them to their friend’s list, join groups, comment on other people updates and build new relationships. Communicate online is made easy, it is fast and efficiently passed from one friend to the other.
Through facebook an individual is capable of meeting people from different parts of the world whom they have never met. It enables friendships and relationships to be formed in the comfort of a person’s office, home and anywhere that internet is accessible. The fact that facebook looks like a very fascinating site to join, the big question that is asked by many is if the privacy of an individual becomes a thing of the past once a person has signed up for membership. To sign up a person has to give up some personal information by answering questions that relate to your private life. The information is not private and can be exposed to anyone viewing the profile that can either be your friend or someone not affiliated to.
From my recent research in my locality and from facebook critics, it is approximated that majority and a big percentage of people spent seventy percent of the twenty four hour’s time on the internet and most commonly on facebook. This is where people give up their privacy by posting their feelings, ideas and interest on the site. All these is enhanced by the all present question on the facebook opening page on the site that asks you what is on your mind. Most commonly people end up posting very important information that can be intimate and very private, done consciously or unconsciously. Once the information is sent it cannot be retrieved immediately as the next friend online has a better chance of reading and getting the information.
Originally, facebook was created and meant for a worthy cause but as millions of people continue to flock on the site, it has become evident that privacy of an individual has been at risk. Both the young, old, married, and single people of all gender are on the site. Through my own research it is evident that many relationships are broken by the information posted in facebook. Recently a couple who had been married for fifteen years with two children ended up divorcing due to the information that the man’s mistress had posted on the facebook blog space commonly known as the wall in facebook.
Through the introduction of a new feature termed as the news feeds, an individual is able to see every action taken by their friends. This may include every new friend they added, comments posted to other friends, changes in relationship status, the groups formed and joined, videos and pictures shared and posted. From this a person can easily make a follow up on every event that their friends make on the site and these denies a person rights to their private life. It becomes catalyst that breaks up marriages like this one. The woman in this case had all the facts to accuse the husband of his infidelity. Many relationships have been broken through the invasion of facebook. In some severe cases, it is not only the break ups that are the threat it is clear now that a person life can also be at risk due to the information freely given by members on facebook.
The management on the other hand has tried to ensure that information is not let out to every person. This is by giving the user the privacy settings tools. As a sharing site the user is given some options to decide whom to share with and what to share with members in the friend list. One of the key elements is the sharing setting on facebook where an individual is given the option of who can read their posted updates, view their pictures albums and watch videos, birthday dates and contact information can also be made private but evident to a group of friends.
Another privacy setting is the block list where the user is let to restrict certain friends from interacting or seeing the information of a person on the site. The use of the inbox to send messages is also a private place where information sent is private and cannot be visible to the other members. On the case of the marriage that was broken the man, if only he could had been keen and used the inbox to communicate he could had a better chance to save his marriage. Instead they both chose to ignore and this led to the breaking up of their relationship.
Despite all this efforts, facebook cannot guarantee a person’s privacy as the basic directory information is open to everyone. The name of a person, profile picture, and gender are public. This is argued that it enables friends who has lost contact with other people can easily point them out through the search engine. Networks are also visible to everyone to see in order for the other friends to find out who belong to which network. Hometown and a person’s interest are among the mandatory information that is left visible to any members whom have not even been added to a person’s group of friends. These are also for the easy access with other people an individual has things in common with to get connected.
Another aspect that is fundamental fact that poses a threat to the privacy of an individual is the fact that in facebook a person can pose to be someone they are not. This is by giving false information and going a head to post fiction information. Some goes to extend of putting fake pictures on their profile. An individual can get into a relationship with such a person by adding the disguised member as a friend who turns out to be a person interested in acquiring private information. This can go a head to pose other dangers to the individual in cases where a malicious person can stalk and threaten the life of another member who happened to have met on facebook site.
Facebook can also be anonymous, in most cases the user never gets to meet, see, and touch the other friends they communicate with. This gives a person who is posting intimate information on the site the benefit of their privacy. From my survey I have come to realize that facebook to others is like a fantasy world where people are free to be what they want to be without being accountable with the actions and information they share. People create false updates and other information without a second thought as no one is responsible to the other.
In conclusion, facebook is a very interesting and socially accepted networking site. It is the fasted channel of communication where through search engines a person is guaranteed to meet old friends and make new friends. Relationships are easily natured even with strangers and people in long distance relationship. Groups with a worthy cause are formed to share experiences and ideas. The privacy of the members is what the management is agued to look into through the establishment of proper privacy settings. A lot should be done to give the members the comfort that whatever action they take is left private to other members. The fact that a person may want to join a certain group, comment or even write on other people’s wall and all this remains private should be made possible.
