Internet Safety

Social networking and privacy

Social networking and sharing on the web are taking off in ways that we may never have imagined. But along with all of the fun social aspects come big questions about privacy.

Legal issues

As the popularity of social networking increases, so too do the libel cases being brought to court based on defamatory posts and tweets. What you share on social media is written documentation that can be traced back to you if required by law. You should know that in extreme cases you may not retain a right to privacy even if you have posted something anonymously.

Cybercrime

It is best to remain as anonymous as possible in online profiles and carefully consider what information you share. Sharing personal information like your birthday, address, or place of work can give cybercriminals what they need to break into your house or even your bank account. To be safe, never post sensitive information unless you can control who sees it. 

Behavior tracking

Many commercial and social media sites collect data about your online activity and preferences. However, users don't always understand how their information is being shared with and used by third-parties. For example, you may be aware that Facebook tracks what you do on its own site, but you may not realize that it receives data about your activities from other sites, as well. If you feel that this practice violates your privacy, you can install a browser plug-in like Adblock Plus or Privacy Badger, which will prevent most sites from collecting your data.

Geolocation

Some web sites and mobile apps have a feature called geolocation, which uses GPS to share your current location with other people. A similar feature called geotagging automatically adds location information to photos taken with cell phones, which can then be read with special software. These features can be fun, but they could also provide criminals with information about your habits and whereabouts. To be safe, it's a good idea to disable the geotag feature on your cell phone, and to disable geolocation features before posting online if you don't want to share your location.

Child protection

Children who are active online face all the same potential dangers as adults, but without having the knowledge or maturity to protect themselves effectively. All parents should therefore discuss Internet safety with their kids and monitor their social media and Internet use. For more information, go to our Internet Safety for Kids tutorial.

Image and persona

In the era of the Internet, damaging or embarrassing information about a person can be spread quickly, widely, and permanently, thus affecting his or her image and persona both on and offline. In extreme cases, people have been fired for complaining about their jobs online or rejected by colleges based on online party photos. What you share online can be seen by anyone, so it is important to be aware of the image you are presenting.

Additional resources

Go to Online Privacy & Technology from PrivacyRights.org for more information on how privacy is affected by technology.

Go to Can the law keep up with technology? from CNN.com to review an article on legal cases regarding online technology.