Every second 8 new users go online, in North America alone there are close to 1.7 Billion users online. People on the internet don't just surf pictures and research, a computer is not just a work or homework tool anymore. People go on the internet today for millions of reasons, some good..some bad
In 2011 every 1 in 13 people in the world belonged to the popular Social Media platform Facebook. Facebook as you know allows users to have the ultimate internet experience, staying connected to friends, updating each other on current events, posting pictures and videos about whats going on in daily life. We put everything on Facebook, even our birthdays, where we live, phone numbers and places of work. Some people even update their status about where they are right now.Unfortunately Facebook didn't come with a manual on how to protect yourself and your information online, actually 15% of Americans have never checked their social networking privacy and security account settings. (National Cyber Security Alliane (NCSA)-MacAfee Online Safety Study, 2011).
So how private is the web anyways, you can make your pictures private, hide your name and your personal information. But do you ever wonder how those ads on the side of your web pages seem to know exactly how old your are? Its because big sites like Facebook and Google, compile your information into a database which help them narrow down their ads, to specifically target you and others like you. Some large sites will even bid off these lists to other online advertisers.
In reality most people feel decently private with their stuff all over the internet, the mentality is "everyone else has their stuff up, why not mine" and also we don't believe that Google or Facebook are going to splash gossip or pictures around, the worst they usually do is try to scam us into clicking on their ads. Unfortunately there are sites that are the complete opposite. In 2007 a site named TheDirty.com was created as basically a platform for juciy gossip. People go to dirty.com to personally bash another person, the site holds pictures of those people and personal information, whatever the poster wants to say about the other person, stays on the site. In recent these could be things like an address, names of freinds and family and even nude photos!
For example, because of the lack of privacy settings available on the web, and places like this site, this young women named Liz was posted up on the dirty and has suffered greatly in regards to jobs and friends, take a look.
So there you have it "there is no such thing as privacy". Nik Richie and his site are still up and continue to allow "haters" post pictures and information on this site.
Fortunately there are some superhero web nerds out there that have posted a few things you can do in order to try and protect your online content. here's the link
And also here's a video about Privacy fix a program that searches out your privacy holes and fixes them for you.
The moral of the story, watch what you put online, you may be the next Dirty.com celebrity!
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ReplyDeleteGreat Post Hailey,
ReplyDeleteI feel that this is an important subject for everyone to understand, we all read it on the 100 page disclaimer before we sign up for a social media site, lol, however they do have that convenient "I agree" button which save us all time and gets us to our destination without the dull read. As long as we know that we are giving up our privacy for an enhancement in social status, and beware of the implications of that, it remains a give and take relationship in my opinion.
-Amber
Insightful post Hailey,
ReplyDeletereally provides some food for thought. In a world in which we voluntarily expose ourselves to scrutiny, can we then blame the pundits for commenting or blame those who circulate the information we ourselves have provided? Is there a fine line between what is and isn't good fare for public consumption? In a modern world of oversharing and tribal social connection we should take time to consider the implications as you discussed of allowing our private items to be shared amongst cyberspace. How do you want to be viewed by a friend, a family member or even a potential future employer? These are all important queries to be posed.
Very Informative post about privacy. its amazing how we have no privacy anymore on computers but that what the world is coming too which is terrible. great post talk to you in class
ReplyDeleteelliott
Agreed!! It's kinda creepy when you think about it lol
DeleteIt is creepy if you think about it especially with all these creepy people out there!
DeleteNice post Hailey,
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of TheDirty.com so that was something new I learnt today, and it's also amazing to see where the power of social media and the constant "want and need" to know what everyone is doing has taken us. There appears to no longer be a thing known as privacy, or any filters which stop us from divulging everything and anything we want to the world. Who knows where this appetite for gossip and personal information will take us in the future. Really good post pal.
Cheers, John
Hailey ,
ReplyDeleteThank you for making me feel so exposed to the naked eye of the internet . Its such a surprise to know that the internet is such a big place with little privacy . I knew before that everyone everywhere is watching what certain people do and companies follow you to get a feel on the type of person that they are hiring , but after watching what happened to Mr. Richie , I now know to watch anything that I put on the internet.
Job Well Done .
Kellen Cummings
WOW what an amazing post Hailey!
ReplyDeleteI never knew any of this about privacy and what websites do with our information and how many people can really access it! It's definitely a huge eye opener! I really loved that doctor Phil video, that is absolutely crazy what a website can do!
Great post!!!
Samantha
great post. it's kinda scary when you think about the lack of privacy on the web. if you don't post any private information, you will be completely safe.
ReplyDeleteGreat job,
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that was the case when it comes to privacy and I never knew about the site "thedirty" which you had shared. This was very informative and well done.
Hello Hailey
ReplyDeleteYour post has been very informative into how private my privacy settings are. I will definitely look into this comment "And also here's a video about Privacy fix a program that searches out your privacy holes and fixes them for you. my wife and I will definitely find this useful.
Thanks so much
David
Nice work,
ReplyDeleteYour blog above definitely opened my eyes as a reminder of how privacy on the internet really works. Personally, this won't change my actions while online as this to me has always been sort of common sense but there are definitely people who need to read this and gain some internet privacy knowledge.
Thanks for the post,
Andrew
Hello Hailey, Great topic. Probably one of the best that I can relate to as I always feel that the internet is was to open and it is scary how un privet things have become. I hope thinks continue to become safer and more secure.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Daniel
Wow Hails,
ReplyDeleteI found the site "the dirty" quite shocking. I knew sites like that were out there but man oh man. People really need to open their eyes and watch what they post. It will always come out of the wood work. Good video pairing with your content. Especially when the creator says "there is no such thing as privacy". really puts things in perspective doesn't it! Great post.
-Tys
Great blog!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea only 15% of American internet users check the privacy setting. Its scary how much the internet and websites can know about you. Facebook knows everything you do offline and Google knows everything you do online.
Its so true!! and you see the younger generations post everything on Facebook now a days its crazy to think who can see what they are doing
Deletesyl
Great blog post Haily! Whatever webpage we surf on, our information is sought through a variety of ways, whether it be through obtaining our personal information through newsletter signup or even using our cookies stored in our browsers. Privacy on social media platforms is an ongoing issue that wont end anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteHuy
I love the title. The internet has no privacy, no matter what those "privacy agreements" on websites tell you. Your data is collected and people give out their own info left, right and centre every day. Good blog post.
ReplyDeleteHello Haily,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, it was an interesting read, especially because I do not trust privacy on the web. Growing up in a very old school family, I can comfortably say that my parents never let me purchase anything online using a credit card due to the implications of privacy and theft. It is definitely a risk, and after reading your blog I am still shakey on the topic, I am unsure as to how much it can really be trusted. Although, it seems like thats the trend that is happening right now, everybody is shopping online.
Raffi Kaloustian
Haily,
ReplyDeleteGreat article on networking privacy. Everybody should be aware that although they may even place their Facebook under a high privacy setting; any comments or pictures put online are forever on the database. If if a user were to outgrow Facebook and deactivate their account.. Facebook still has every single picture they've put online. People need to realize more often how much on them is truly online.
Well done
Hailey,
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog post! I used to be a frequent to thedirty.com webpage - I found it really funny sad at the same time. I would hate to be on the receiving end of some of those comments. Nonetheless, thanks for the informative post!
-Jordan
Hailey,
ReplyDeleteI liked your blog, very thought provoking. Its funny how people really dont think about how public and unprivate things are on the internet even things like people's personal Facebook pages. Privacy on the web is a very concerning matter and you never really know how much information there is about you on the internet.
Great post!!
Brad
Great Job
ReplyDeletePrivacy now a days just seems not to be present in terms of using the web. I like the two videos you put together for your Blog. I enjoy reading this intersting information regarding privacy on the web.
Great job Hailey!
ReplyDeleteYou provided some very interesting statistics. I had no idea that the percentage was that high for the amount of people in America that do not check their social media networking accounts. I would have thought this percentage would have been much lower since social media is on the rise and technology is escalading as well with more and more thing being done online. You did a really great use of the Dr. Phil video. He is a big celebrity name and using a scene from one of his shows made it really that much more interest for me!
Overall, great job!
Hey Hailey,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your topic. I was unaware how unsecure the internet is; reading this blog has made me think twice about how and what I use the internet for.
-Joe
Great blog Hailey
ReplyDeleteThis really made me think. Privacy settings are included ewverywhere but not everyone uses them or even enables them. Thats true that on social media websites people post litteraly everything you can know about them. Even there personal info can be accessed if not properly protected. When you give out your name and phone number what are they doing with it?? Its hard to be certain because its so common now and people disregard it unfortunately. Privacy can never be to private because with the proper tools and ways you personal info can always be accessed and reviewed.
Great post, like I said it made me think
Jake
Nice Job
ReplyDeleteNever really looked into the privacy or even took thought on the many things we agree to when we decide to accept ourselves in social media websites. Learned lots Thanks
Victor
I had no idea, I have never looked into the privacy settings or even noticed or took the time to look at the ads on the side of the pagee!!
ReplyDeletegreat post
sylvia