Social Networking and Early Education

There has been a lot of discussion on the web lately regarding lawsuits against Facebook.  Specifically: are social networks leaking personal information?  The first time I heard about "Facebook sharing our personal information!" was in a Facebook status message.  The concern was the Facebook was taking pictures tagged with my friend's name, and using those pictures as part of ads on my page.  As it turns out, Facebook was not showing these pictures to anyone who wasn't already publically allowed to see them.  The concerns were unwarranted.  In the past few weeks articles are appearing more frequently, and this time with a higher level of concern - are social networking sites leaking information to tracking systems?  Are people liable to be sued due to information spread on social networks?

I can't help but look at the social networking habits of many of these users before jumping to the conclusion that the social networks are filled with "hidden dangers."  Many social network users tag photos of themselves in inappropriate situations.  They put in writing things they would never want their coworkers to see.  They update the world on their day to day movements.

If these same people saw their children acting this way, the warnings would come fast and furious: Do Not Make What Should Be Private Available To The Public.  What is Written Stays Written.  This blog entry, even if I delete it, will be saved somewhere in the vast space that is the Internet - that's the beauty of putting it their, publicly, rather than on a sheet of paper.  It allows any reader to save it, should he or she wish to.

There has been a recent influx of classes, geared toward teaching students about the dangers of social networking.  I'd be willing to bet that, as per usual, those students would be able to teach their parents and teachers about those same dangers.  And it sounds as though we adults are the ones who really need to learn.

Sources:
Phelps, David. "Social Networking: You Have the Right to Remain Silent... and Tweetless." http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1573156.html
"Are Social Networking Sites Leaking Our Details?" http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Internet-/Are-networking-si...
Mah, Paul.  "How Social Networks Wreck Your Online Anonymity."  http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/networking/?p=1869