Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Four Square have changed our daily lives and how we interact with others. We use them to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, find the latest news, inform our friends about our whereabouts and meet new people in a nearby area. While social networks can be essential for some like the chronically ill who depend on social networks like Facebook to maintain their connections with people, or vital in solving crimes, they also have a dangerous side. For example, Web site, pleaserobme.com shows that updating a Facebook status or using Twitter or Four Square to announce where one is located can open up new opportunities for burglars.
In Indiana, a woman reported two men burglarized her home right after she posted a Facebook update that she and her fiance are going out to a concert that evening. The most astonishing fact is that one of the burglars turned out to be her friend on the social media platform. So how can we protect ourselves on these social media platforms?
- Networks such as Facebook allow you to set their privacy settings and have a limited profile to a selected group of friends.
- Only friend or accept friendships from people you know and trust
- If you are using location-based networks, turn your check-ins notifications off
- Do not use the new Twitter location feature which can broadcast the city, the neighborhood, or your exact address from which you are tweeting.
Not only can social networks provoke robberies if not careful, but they can also victimize users through frauds and hoaxes. For example, Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of Tour de France and his charity, Live Strong, were exploited by a Twitterer who impersonated a cancer-stricken patient in need of money to save her life. IKEA furniture store has, too, been a recent victim of a Facebook scam. A fraudulent Facebook campaign was “run” by IKEA that promised to give its first 7,000 fans a $1,000 gift card if you became a fan of the Swedish company. Of course, this is not really a campaign that is run by IKEA.
The bottom line is reap the benefits of social media, but also remember to practice safe social networking.
Comments
On the flip side, it's hard to imagine a world where we are afraid to share our lives with others. The makers of PleaseRobMe.com explicitly said they were out to prove a point not facilitate would-be criminals. Certainly, prudence is merited in a digital age when the ease of discovering information (even of the sensitive kind) would have one err on the side of caution, but when the Depatment of Defense has made an official policy of allowing American soldiers in embattled parts of the world teaming with cyber terrorists still use Twitter, Facebook and so on, we aught not forget that these tools may also be equally potent in fostering a home-front spirit of neighborliness.
It´s amazing how many people don´t understand a need for boundaries for online communication. The reality is, anyone who really needs to know can be reached through private avenues. It´s time people understand the need for responsibility for their social networking activity.
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