http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/style/17facebook.html
I was reading this article this morning on the New York Times and it really intrigued me. A quick rundown on the story: Researchers are now using the social network Facebook to study a East Coast college's student base for information on social networking, relationships, and basically answer the question of whether we are friends with people who are like us or whether being friends with people lead to our interests.
A huge question that is raised in this study is the development of a new field of research. In the past you had to get volunteers to do this type of research or try to study in a live atmosphere which presents numerous challenges. Now with such an amazing resource and study platform such as the internet, new issues have arisen as to the ethical and privacy issues. The main problem: determining if the internet is considered a public venue, which scientists are permitted to research in.
This particular group has received permission from the college administrators, but has not informed the students of the study. In this case I'm all for allowing the students to remain uninformed. The group is not posing a threat to student's privacy because the information is completely accessible by anyone the college permits to see. If the college has given them access to the database by giving them permission to study the students and the students have not taken the time to limit their profile to only those people they accept as friends then I do not see an issue. At least not one I would have issues with. If you put it on the internet you are asking for people to see it. Facebook offers privacy settings to allow individuals to protect their profile. If you do not select to limit your profile you are inherently giving permission to anyone with access to see your information. Plus, I think the information this research and others like it will be very interesting to read.
Oh and in answer to their question... I think it is a shared blame, but I think my friends developed my tastes more than I flocked to people like me.
When you publish private information, it is no longer private.
If you make information public, you can no longer hold it as private.
I get a kick out of kids who get angry because their mother looks at their facebook or myspace page.... You post it on the internet... you're lucky if it is only your mother that looks at it, and not child predators who would kidnap you and rape you until you are dead.
As opposed to not stopping even after you're dead! :-P
I'm pretty much in agreeance with Lance. If it's on the net, it's fair game.
Nicholas Aden
Self-Promotion
I understand that there are privacy settings and that if you post it on the internet you're risking someone you don't want seeing it. But do youi know how easy it is to bypass privacy settings? An elementary hacker could figure it out! Also, the wrong kinds of people (like the government) use your internet use as a way to spy on you. I certainly think that this situation is in no way harming people, and it seems totally legit to me, but I think we should all be extra careful about what we do on the internet and what we post.
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--The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return--
My philosophy is that if you wouldn't proclaim it on a podium in the real world for everyone and their mothers (and your own) to hear then best not say it at all on the internet. Unfortunately you are right, internet screens aren't a vault on your information and you shouldn't pretend that it is infallible. Be safe (but I bet you all already knew that).
Think about it...
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tomorrowtoday