Social Networking Sites: Should Users Be More Responsible For Their Own Safety?
As social networking grows and becomes part of society’s daily activities, negative connotations are becoming far more apparent with news reports of crimes that involve social networking sites at some instance. As ‘users’ of these sites, should we retain responsibility for our safety?
Most of us make sensible decisions regarding who we befriend online and whether to meet them or not. However, there are vulnerable users out there, in particular those under 18-years-old. A recent case involved the murder of Ashleigh Hall, who met Peter Chapman, who had created a false identity on Facebook.
All social networking sites should provide services that link directly to the appropriate authorities, such as Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), that know what signs to look out for when case’s like Peter Chapman arise in the early stages. However, it is still the user who has to make the initial choice of pressing the ‘alert button’. This brings responsibility back to the user and owners of computers. Parents and other authority figures should be educating young people of the risks that social networking can present. We are all open to falsity online and the ‘fantasy’ mentality can easily be taken too far by those who seek gratification.
Facebook use the poor argument that they currently provide their own adequate system to report alarming behaviour. It seems that Facebook does not want to provide another reporting system on their site because it will give users a choice. Perhaps petty competition has reared its ugly head even for such an important issue as safety. As Facebook is open to children as well as adults, profiles can be created and be at risk from online predators. Is Facebook fearful of integrating outsider systems? This seems so as adding links for under-18’s would bring Facebook in to a closer consortium that contains Bebo and Twitter as well.
(Photo courtesy benstein @Flickr)
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