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FacebookIsDangerous 10 - 01 Apr 2012 - Main.RumbidzaiMaweni
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Facebook is Dangerous
I ran into this article where Eben describes Facebook as analgous to a "man in the middle" attack that a hacker might employ to intercept apparently private communication for nefarious purposes. I think Eben's analogy is spot on: this isn't a technical hack, this is a social hack, and it amazes me how oblivious we are to the increasing damage Facebook is inflicting on our privacy and the danger it can pose to people who are deemed "criminals" wanted by law enforcement. | | | Elvira, this article is shocking and went well beyond my knowledge of how future employers and schools can use Facebook to collect information. A lawyer quoted in the article, Bradley Shear, made an interesting analogy to the privacy infringement actions of future employers and schools, Shear said, "A good analogy for this [future employers and schools demanding access to Facebook accounts], in the offline world, would it be acceptable for schools to require athletes to bug their off-campus apartments? Does a school have a right to know who all your friends are?"
On the other hand, the article also noted that when Maryland's Department of Corrections forced applicants to surrender their user names and passwords during an interview, that out of 2,689 applicants, they identified 7 applicants whose social media applications had pictures of gang signs, and subsequently did not hire these individuals. Is there ever an appropriate time for agencies and schools to demand that individuals share their social media information, prior to being found in violation of any crime or policy? Forcing 2,689 individuals to surrender their privacy so that 7 alleged gang affiliates can be weeded out, seems a hefty price to pay.
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> | -- AbiolaFasehun - 29 Feb 2012
I just read an article about a fairly disturbing Facebook application, and thought I'd post it here: http://www.cultofmac.com/157641/this-creepy-app-isnt-just-stalking-women-without-their-knowledge-its-a-wake-up-call-about-facebook-privacy/
The author of the article encourages readers to see the application as instructive regarding internet privacy and protecting ourselves on social networking sites like Facebook.
I, too, like Skylar feel like I've been letting much of this discourse about privacy and the internet pass me by. As Moglen mentioned in class the other day, it very much has been this passive "If I'm not doing anything wrong, what does it matter," attitude on my part. But I also grow frustrated when I try to discuss this topic with people who are adamantly anti-Facebook and other forms of social-networking, because I often do feel that users of these platforms are not given enough credit. I also get the impression that these people assume that Facebook's only uses are for stalking friends and colleagues as entertainment, curing boredom, or for narcissistic, superficial over-sharing. There's little acknowledgement of what a powerful form of community-building it can be, or that our ideas of what imaginary communities we are a part of, and can be active in, has largely shifted as a consequence of these networks. I've long been interested in migration and diaspora communities, and social networking has drastically changed the way people in diaspora communities perceive themselves and their communities. It's not merely the ease of keeping in touch that's important- it is that act of sharing daily thoughts and experiences that's extremely powerful from the perspective of identity formation, remittances, empathy-building, and even planting the seeds for activism.
I realize whether Facebook and similar forms of social networking can be useful is a different question from whether or not Facebook is dangerous from a privacy perspective. I just wish those who frame the debate would more often acknowledge that there are real and immediate positive social interests at stake, beyond 20-somethings wanting to show off their party pictures, that contribute to the complacency some people feel regarding these potential long-term consequences. Maybe if those championing internet privacy gave more credit to those who really do want to find a way to balance behavior in the cyber-realm that contributes to certain positive ends with making a stand for internet re-empowerment, it would go a long way towards making people wake up.
-- RumbidzaiMaweni - 01 Apr 2012 |
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