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A lot of people these days are always connected through a Bluetooth, on Facebook, or on Twitter, keeping up with loved ones and acquaintances. Unfortunately, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and many other websites which information can impose upon your privacy by asking for particular info about yourself. Facebook has a valid reason for doing so in that it provides much information to marketers and developers about what people want and need.

Whether or not this is in the best interest of individuals has been highly debated in the last several years. People against this method want additional security measures, but people who own the websites think the personal info is vital to keeping the users satisfied with relevant advertisements.

A lot of users do not know that a number of websites employ IP tracking, which is a method that allows them to know exactly where you are, who you are chatting with on the Internet, and even what you type. This particular website ip-searching.info/40/index.htm, along with plenty more, does just that.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement regarding that “fine line” between the free speech to say whatever we want, and safeguarding the personal information of internet users everywhere. Nothing states this more clearly than the MILLIONS of new lawsuits being filed every year. Facebook has been particularly targeted in this war due to the methods they use to protect users’ privacy.

Somehow, people STILL find ways around even “privacy blocked” accounts within the Facebook site, forcing web designers to continually change and reformat the site. Because of this, the National Trade Commission set new rules that affect the kinds of moves Facebook can perform. As such, the site is no longer able to continually improve the services they offer.

More than 500 million people are on Facebook on a monthly bases, which makes it a very large social networking site. As such, many changes proposed by the company to keep up not only with the volume, but ever-changing legal mandates, has resulted in site problems which were unanticipated. Some of these issues were related to a confusing interface, and a news update feature that put personal info into public areas. Most people do not realize that after they enter personal info onto any website, it can be accessed by anyone with the knowledge to do so.

One example was the Beacon Advertising System which was designed to track information of users in all their web searches. Then, people on a distribution list would get an email saying something to the effect, “Check out Johny’s favorite site”. A URL would then take you DIRECTLY to the same site that YOU visited! A lot of people on Facebook believed that this betrayed their privacy since not everyone wants their family and friends to know what he or she is searching on the web. Although certain adverse reactions resulted, Facebook has since removed this program.

Facebook, as well as other social network sites, have taken the privacy issue to heart but, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the users to protect against voluntarily divulging personal information that could lead to an invasion of privacy. Because of how popular social network websites have become, the Internet must develop methods of dealing with evolving issues that inevitably arise. In the meantime, remembering that once information is revealed on the web it many find its way around the world should serve as a warning to users to think carefully before submitting anything.

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