Facebook security means common sense
Facebook is a revolutionary tool for networking, but its benefits may come at a high cost: security threats and loss of privacy. However, by employing common sense and customizing your security settings, running a Facebook account shouldn't be a problem.
As reported last week, nearly 5,000 Santa Clara students use this free service to send messages, form groups devoted to interests such as the "Nickelodeon Glory Days" or "I Want to be a Trophy Wife" and, of course, to "poke" each other.
But can sending messages, checking profiles, and uploading pictures create security issues and lead to abuse?
Absolutely.
Students must ensure that their personal information is safeguarded. Just as most people wouldn't write their phone number and post a picture in a public rest room, so too should students protect their personal information.
Although we haven't heard of it yet, Facebook would be a perfect tool for a stalker to learn your phone number, what room you live in, and what classes you take.
Nobody needs to become completely paranoid, but filling your profile with information that is easily available to students at Santa Clara or anyone else who can access a friend's Facebook account is cause for concern.
Santa Clara students aren't the only people with access to your information.
In addition to future employers and the administration, anyone with an scu.edu address could potentially inspect your profile and see those party pictures of you performing that sweet keg stand.
And don't forget that photo links are accessible to people who don't carry an account. To stay on the safe side, Facebook users should assume that everyone can see their profiles.
"There's something about being in college that some people throw all caution to the wind. You just get caught up in the social scene, and you're not thinking further down the road because you're so caught up in the experience," said freshman Grace Nixon, as quoted in last week's issue.
The two students at Fisher College in Boston who were expelled for targeting a campus police office provide an excellent case in point.
According to Vice Provost for Student Life Jeanne Rosenberger and Associate Dean for Student life Matthew Duncan, Facebook is a public forum, and any posted threats or admissions to crimes could spell big trouble.
Although the administration hasn't hired an official Facebook Inquisitor who would search student profiles looking for infractions, students should still be careful of posting pictures which expose any illegal activity.
And your new boss probably won't appreciate your talent for guzzling "40s" upside down, either.
A good way to protect your information, if you're unwilling to censor yourself, is to choose a more restrictive security preference.
The options, ranging from "normal" to "paranoid," allow a user to limit who has access. From allowing everyone at Santa Clara to see the profile, to only friends of friends at Santa Clara, Facebook offers custom settings that limit who can view students' information -- but there's no guarantee.
It's important to remember that your friends might share your page with their friends, allowing strangers to view information or pictures you consider personal or embarrassing.
Facebook seems like a lighthearted tool to create Weird Al tribute clubs and post silly pictures of friends, but the security issues it raises are serious.
Fun aside, common sense and basic precautions for security and privacy should always rule.