In today’s world, social networking websites and applications are a lot less private than they used to be. Websites like Twitter, Facebook, and foursquare have been making updates that gives their users less privacy and more worries.
On Facebook, the homepage features a side ticker that displays friends’ such as their commenting on a status or a picture, when they upload pictures, when they get new friends, or events that they are attending. Facebook also made it possible for users to share their location while they are updating their statuses. Another issue that raises concerns is the sites that users visit even if they are not logged in on Facebook.
Facebook is still aware of what you are doing online and websites you are visiting. For example, Facebook creates posts that say “[Insert name here] recently read an article” and attaches the link to the article that was read. Because of these updates, there could be a risk of cyber bullying and cyber stalking leaving the social networking world and coming into the real world. This causes users to get apprehensive about the things that they post on Facebook and may stop or limit them from using Facebook, because they do not want to be judged.
The mobile application foursquare also poses as a privacy concern for its users. Foursquare is an application in which its users check-in to various locations. Users gain points for every check-in, gain badges if they check-in at specific locations, and can become “mayors” of certain locations if they check-in more than anyone else. Although this can be fun between users and their friends, it also poses problems. For example, if the foursquare account is linked to the Twitter or Facebook account, users might want to double check their settings because if they are set to send their check-in posts to Facebook or Twitter, there’s a chance that someone might be taking note of their location and may decide to show up. Something else to keep in mind is when checking in, users must be aware about their names being shown on the “Who’s Here?” list because there might be a complete stranger checked in at the same location.
All in all, just be safe. If you do not mind public social networking, then keep enjoying it. However if you are someone who values your online privacy, make sure to check your “settings” for privacy enhancers. Make sure that your online and mobile buddies are people that you know and are familiar and comfortable with. Make sure that the status, tweets, and check-ins are for the eyes that you want to see.