Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have put a totally different spin on Internet privacy. These sites are meant to encourage interaction among Internet users. As can be expected the anonymity that using the Internet enables has made it possible for people to do things they normally wouldn’t.
Does Social Networking Enable Privacy?
There is a school of thought that by its very nature, social networking does not enable privacy. This belief rests on the fact that to use these sites, users have to provide quite a lot of personal information. While this is true, many of the issues surrounding privacy or lack thereof are much more than the biodata normally required.
Protecting Your Privacy Online
The issue of online privacy will continue to cause debate for a long time. Concerns notwithstanding, there are ways in which Internet users can help protect their privacy on these websites. Some of these are:
Never put your full date of birth on your page.Never use the same passwords and email addresses for everything. Ensure that passwords and email addresses for banks and other such institutions are different from those used for social networking sites.Do not sign up with people search sites unless you really want to be found.Learn and use the privacy settings on the websites
While you can do a lot to protect your own privacy online, others may be freer with your information. Sometimes, doing an online search for your name will reveal how much information may be online about you that you had nothing to do with. Knowing what exists can help you clean up your online data where possible.