Facebook Privacy Issues

Although Facebook has quickly become one of the (if not the) most popular ways to network on the web, there are a number of Facebook privacy issues that users should be aware of when they sign up for an account. Only an in-depth knowledge and awareness of these issues can keep you from becoming one of the victims of privacy invasion that so often happens on the internet.

1. Personal Information- Certainly one of the foremost privacy issues with Facebook is the availability of private information. Users have the ability to upload large amounts of information about themselves to their user profile, including date of birth, marital status, hometown and other, more personal bits of information such as marital and relationship status. Of course, users have the ability to put as little or as much on their profile as they like, but far too many put more information than is safe. If you have information that you don’t feel comfortable having everyone know about you, then don’t include it in your profile. When it comes to Facebook privacy, safe is better than sorry, and it’s better to err on the side of caution. Keep as much control as you can of your private information, since there is really no telling who might be able to access it if they put their mind into doing so. Control is crucial to maintaining your privacy on Facebook.
2. Applications- Several news outlets have reported on the fact that the information shared from applications on Facebook can have a number of serious privacy problems. In addition to Facebook sharing information among different applications and websites, in October 2010 an issue arose in which some applications were sharing ID numbers of those who used the app. The lesson to be learned here? Pay attention to what applications you are downloading, and minimize this as much as possible.
3. Sharing Information- Facebook is all about information sharing. However, sometimes there is such a thing as sharing too much information. Information, incidentally, can include everything from information about yourself (see above) to photos. Always remember that sometimes that information, including embarrassing photos (such as one showing your drunk at a bar or in some other inappropriate situation) can sometimes fall into the hands of potential employers, so be sure to keep that Facebook privacy problem in mind when updating your profile and the information contained in it.