Lots of people are unaware that what they put or post online, can stay there forever. They may think that they deleted whatever it was that was embarrassing, the truth is they did not. Other people still have accessed it and may just as well be on there computers or mobile devices. In grade 12, a teenager could have posted an inappropriate picture on the internet. He could have deleted it, but ten years later, that picture could come back to haunt him as it still remained on the net.
Facebook - A social network that people post there personal information for everyone to see, pictures of them and their family so random people can see. People do not realize that when they are typing in information about where they live, work, go to school, etc they are not giving that information to Facebook. They are putting that on their own wall for anyone and everyone to see. These people are pretty much giving their information out to anyone who wants to see and use that info. It is not safe for people to do this. For a criminal looking to commit identity theft, this a beckoning call to them. It is not mandatory for people to fill out their specific information, so why do it when its plain unsafe? Employers who are wondering if your the right choice will check your Facebook just to see what kind of person you are. If you are in a group that says "F*** School" or have pictures of you drinking or smoking illegal substances, well sorry but you did not get that job you just applied to. People do not understand that what they put on Facebook gives everyone an image of who you really are. For instance, having a beer company as your profile picture might give people the idea your an avid beer drinker, just an idea though.
Twitter - Another social network where people have their personal information for everyone to see, what they are thinking, what their take is on certain matters. In my views, what people say on Twitter is worse than Facebook altogether. A lot of people tweet horrible things, things that employers would see and immediately through your resume and application out. Twitter also requires some personal information, which shows up on your profile for everyone to see. Employers also check possible employees tweets to see what they are all about. If someone tweets about how much they hate this and that, they probably will not get a job. People need to think about who could be reading their tweets, and how it could potentially hurt themselves by saying it.
Privacy Settings - Settings that do not allow some people to see others information and profiles. People think that they are being smart about turning their privacy settings on, that it is bulletproof so people who are not friends with them cannot see anything on their profile. Wrong. There are links that can take you right to peoples profile, even if your not friends with them. "Rules are meant to be broken." Hackers can hack your profile even if your bulletproof privacy settings are on. Hackers can also get into your friends accounts so that they can gain access to yours. The thing is, just because you turn your privacy settings on, does not mean that possible employers cannot gain access to your profile, so be careful what you post about yourself.
People also think that they cannot be spammed or hacked online. You cannot think that all online companies are safe, some are out to scam you for personal information and money. When your purchasing something online, your pretty much making and filling out a contract. Your giving that company all your personal information, your accounts, your passwords, your banking information, this is all a lot of information to trust one single company with. Not all companies are safe. From experience I have been scammed of money. I have sent my money to a company just to get nothing back in return. You cannot positive that a company is foolproof and completely safe. Some people are thieves, nonetheless very smart and make fake websites about real companies. They do this to access your personal information, and usually your banking. Once they have this they can hack your account and take all of your money. Its happened before and it can happen to you.
By writing all of this I am trying to say that the internet is not a nice, safe place that some people make it out to be. You have to be safe when you surf the internet. Be sure that if your putting something on the internet, you will never regret it. Be sure that what you put on the internet is appropriate, you would not want to be shut down for an important job just because you posted something five years ago when you were immature. Just because you think the company is safe, you can never be sure. Accept the fact that you could possibly be ripped off, or even stolen from. Be sure your acting mature when you access the internet.
Thanks for reading! Learn more at http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm
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