friends – NetworkEd UBC

Facebook – Being a Smart User

Let’s face it, the world has gone the way of Facebook. Most of us are on it, or at least know tons of people who use it. The point of this post is not to trash talk the service, the point of this post is just to clarify some things for people with Facebook accounts. Whether you’re a casual user, a fanatic user, or anywhere in between the two, there are a few key privacy and security aspects you should be aware of.

One really important thing that not all users know is that your information, including your photos, might be made available for use that you would not want – depending on your account settings. If you are using Facebook, you should be aware of the security and privacy options available to you and set them to whatever level you are comfortable with, keeping in mind the internet forgets nothing.

Some Security and Privacy Options:

The first thing you should know is to use a secure unique password for your Facebook login.

Second, make sure your account is set to ‘Secure Browsing (https).’ The point of the setting is to prevent people from intercepting your account while you’re signed in on an insecure wi-fi connection and start browsing your account. [You can read more about this at LifeHacker’s article “Firesheep Sniffs Out Facebook and Other User Credentials on Wi-Fi Hotspots”].

What’s Your Digital Tattoo?

Everyone’s life changes, which is why it’s probably not a great idea to get a tattoo of your boy/girlfriend’s name on your arm (or face on your chest) in the first week of dating. Kind of awkward after the breakup, and might provoke some tricky questions when you find someone new. It’s common sense.

So why don’t we think about those pictures of us and our friends blotto on Granville Street last night the same way? They might not be the best images to represent us tomorrow, and could provoke some tricky questions from prospective employers, grad-school admissions boards or, of course, our families. (You know your mom’s on Facebook, right?)

What exactly is a digital tattoo?

We often think of the internet as ephemeral, like everything we say’ll disappear tomorrow under the flood of new stuff showing up in your Facebook feed. The problem is that’s not entirely true. The stuff you say, post, or share online, including images, videos, and personal data is (or can be) public and forever. So while it might seems harmless to post videos of you being hilariously drunk now, it’s kind of like getting a tattoo when you’re hilariously drunk. Neither ink on flesh nor videos on YouTube will magically disappear forever just before your potential employers start Googling you (which they will). You have to be mindful when you do things (or at least do your best to clean up after yourself later) because the Internet is public and forever, like a tattoo on your face.