Social Media Affects Anonymity
How Social Media Affects Anonymity, Security, Privacy, and Civil Liberties
10 Jan 2013
Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Body a. Impacts on Anonymity b. Impacts on Security c. Impacts on Privacy d. Impacts on Civil Liberties e. Safeguarding Personal Information on Social Media Networks III. Conclusion IV. Works Cited
Introduction
Most people consider anonymity, security, privacy, and civil liberties to be valuable assets. How valuable, however, is a question that is up for debate. Further, someone from 50 years ago would think about the issue very differently than someone would today. The advancement of technology and society has drastically increased the amount of information individuals possess and has greatly improved the ease of accessing information. Knowledge can create enormous opportunities and advantages for an individual in today’s world, but this information can also be a liability. (Kizza, 2010).
Social media websites are websites that allow users to interact and share information with other users. This information is stored remotely, rather than on personal computers. Social networking allows for people to stay in touch with friends that they wouldn’t otherwise keep in touch with, find people they may have not seen in many years, or people they may have never even met. Social networking sites became popular in the late 1990s, and have consistently grown since. Although there are clear benefits to social media sites, one must ask what potential risks there are as well. There are many stalkers, scam artists, identity thieves and companies that use social networking sites to collect information about users and consumers. The companies that operate the social networks are collecting information as well, to sell to advertisers and to provide personalized services (Pipes, 2012).
There are several different types of social networking sites, to include personal networking sites,
10 Jan 2013
Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Body a. Impacts on Anonymity b. Impacts on Security c. Impacts on Privacy d. Impacts on Civil Liberties e. Safeguarding Personal Information on Social Media Networks III. Conclusion IV. Works Cited
Introduction
Most people consider anonymity, security, privacy, and civil liberties to be valuable assets. How valuable, however, is a question that is up for debate. Further, someone from 50 years ago would think about the issue very differently than someone would today. The advancement of technology and society has drastically increased the amount of information individuals possess and has greatly improved the ease of accessing information. Knowledge can create enormous opportunities and advantages for an individual in today’s world, but this information can also be a liability. (Kizza, 2010).
Social media websites are websites that allow users to interact and share information with other users. This information is stored remotely, rather than on personal computers. Social networking allows for people to stay in touch with friends that they wouldn’t otherwise keep in touch with, find people they may have not seen in many years, or people they may have never even met. Social networking sites became popular in the late 1990s, and have consistently grown since. Although there are clear benefits to social media sites, one must ask what potential risks there are as well. There are many stalkers, scam artists, identity thieves and companies that use social networking sites to collect information about users and consumers. The companies that operate the social networks are collecting information as well, to sell to advertisers and to provide personalized services (Pipes, 2012).
There are several different types of social networking sites, to include personal networking sites,
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