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  • Essay / Online Privacy and the Internet - 987

    More people can connect today than ever before through social networking sites. The world has become much smaller because of sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and many others. There are certainly many benefits to using these ingenious social networks, such as staying in touch with friends and family, sharing photos and keeping up to date with current events. Nonetheless, there is a growing concern about privacy, or lack thereof, because of these sites. The ability to determine your privacy settings is sometimes confusing, and at other times, downright misleading. People you don't know at all can see what you write and look at the photos you share. Additionally, some children are in danger due to the spread of social networking sites and the constant threat of sexual predators. There are constant updates and rewrites with reference to privacy, especially from Facebook. Even more alarming is the possibility that the government will examine your social media profile, photos and personal page. In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security released a media monitoring initiative stating that it had given itself permission to “gather, store, analyze, and disseminate” data on millions of social media users ( Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) and business networking sites. (LinkedIn) (Wolverton II, 2012, p. 21). In the future, it appears that to use these and other sites, you may still have to sacrifice some privacy. Are these challenges just part of the larger social media equation, or is there a way to solve the problem? The outcry over privacy violations comes from several sources. First, there are those who worry about government...... middle of paper...... people can do except monitor what they allow to be posted online. Still, there is hope for those who strongly oppose the online spying program. In (future) elections, an educated electorate can select congressional candidates who will pass legislation permanently revoking the authority of the Department of Homeland Security to carry out the mission outlined in the Media Oversight Initiative (Wolverton II , 2012, p. ). Finally, all Americans should understand that their privacy is at risk every time they put information on a computer or smartphone, and it will be that way for the foreseeable future. Works Cited Jakes, L. a. (June 9, 2013). US intelligence chief defends online spying. The Canadian Press, pp. 3-5. Shulevitz, J. (2013). Great Mother is watching you. New Republic, pp. 12-13. Wolverton II, J. (2012). Social spying. New American, pp. 21-24.