Privacy? Why Do You Need Privacy?

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Recommended: The effect of social media on our privacy

Up to date, social networking sites, such as Facebook, have more than 750 million active users, and these users contribute about of 30 billion pieces of shared information (blogs, web links, pictures, etc.) each month. This by no means indicates that social networking sites, similar to Facebook, are a private place. Every “log in to Facebook” you click to connect to other websites, every status update on your wall, with every Twitter post, or Foursquare check-in you allow others to view your life so why not a future employer or the school you go to? Mainstream society has started to fully embrace the digital age; therefore, several people, companies, schools; governments, etc. have come to allow their information to be viewed by whoever has a device that connects to the Internet. With that, your online identity and “real life” persona now blend into one single identity that both worlds can easily view with just a few simple facts like your name or e-mail address. Because of the ability to freely distribute information across social networks, people who use them should not be entitled to privacy.

When a person joins Facebook, they become “publicly available” to the Internet. Facebook writes, "Such information may, for example, be accessed by everyone on the Internet (including people not logged into Facebook), be indexed by third party search engines, and be imported, exported, distributed, and redistributed by us and others without privacy limitations." In simpler terms, once you put it out there, it’s out there and there is no turning back. With every single website you join, you sign away your rights to privacy if you read the “Terms & Policies” section that every website advises you to read whether you do or not. What info...

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...s & Multimedia. 21 July 2010. Web. 12 July 2011. .

Saint, Nick. "Facebook's Response To Privacy Concerns: "If You're Not Comfortable Sharing, Don't."" San Francisco Bay Area — News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Classifieds: SFGate. 28 June 2011. Web. 12 July 2011. .

"Social Networking Benefits Validated - Washington Times." Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News. Web. 12 July 2011. .

"Statistics | Facebook." Welcome to Facebook - Log In, Sign Up or Learn More. Web. 12 July 2011. .

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