Internet and Social networking Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Internet and Social networking Privacy - Essay Example The author of the essay "Internet and Social Networking Privacy" thinks that privacy concerns is one of the most troubling issues for users of social networking sites today, but this problem has been largely underresearched. Social networking sites are online communities that connect people through the Internet and Web 2.0.Facebook, MySpace, Tribe, the Classmates are just a few online social networking sites that attract thousands of people ever day worldwide. Whatever their real purpose, they enable users to upload lots of personal images, exchange messages, chat in chat rooms online, and actively share photos and files. Some sites allow informing the rest of the world about the individual’s movements. In conclusion, the specifics of social networking sites functioning (e.g. invite buddies function or openness of personal profile) often lead to undesirable exposure to the third parties. This, however, does not prevent most users from using the limitations on their profiles. Raising awareness among users about perceived dangers of excessive disclosure is one way to handle the situation. Some other ways should include enhancing the privacy policy of certain websites, legislative restrictions, etc. This is because studies show that users are so much willing to share that they may neglect the risks even being aware of dangers. Out of the studies discussed above, the first one seems most credible since it uses the largest sample of 4, 000 students. Besides, it has the strongest theoretical basis and a broader range of research.