The Dangers of Socialy Networking Sites

Social networking has become very popular throughout the past years and it is evident that many people use it. Being that it is available to everyone, you will find children, adults, and even the elderly on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Social networking is a great advantage to the people who use it in the sense that it allows people to stay connected with each other 24/7 or as often as they log on to these sites. Social networking is also good for making friends, finding romance, and marketing; however, the fact that it is available for everyone to use allows a portal for cyber-crime such as online predators and scamming among other risks.
A large portion of social networking site users are children so it is critical that the proper precautions are taken to ensure internet safety for them. Sites like MySpace have an age limit so that children under a certain age will not be allowed to use them. But as stated in the article, it is easy to fool these systems by faking their age. At the same time, as easy it is for a child to do that in order to appear older, online predators also fake to seem to be the same age as a child.
Phishing and scamming is definitely something to look out for while using the internet. Scammers may try to steal or use your personal information which can be used for identity theft and/or fraud. Internet as well as social network users should beware of websites set up to appear like the social websites they use because they are designed to steal user passwords. Once this happens, the spammer can use your password to destroy your profile or send out spam messages and viruses.
Privacy and employment are highly significant and should seriously be taken into consideration when people decide to use social networking sites. Facebook users should take into consideration that it shares your private information with third party companies which is why you are required to agree to a privacy statement. Users that choose to upload pictures and videos, especially professional photographers or musicians, should be aware that they are giving Facebook ownership rights to their material. Lastly, a users employment can be at risk if they upload inappropriate pictures or videos of themselves. They should also be cautious of accessing these social networking sites from their job.