Dangers of FaceBook and MySpace

FaceBook and MySpace are used to bring people all over the world closer together. They are social networking sites where people can post about themselves as well as meet new people. These sites are a way for those who have busy and hectic schedules to keep in touch. Users can also find old friends, some with whom they haven’t talked with since high school. However, these sites are not as perfect as they seem. A major issue with online social networking sites is cyber bullying. According to Wikipedia, cyber bullying involves a situation where a person is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted. This type of harassment was made all too public back in 2008 when Lori Drew, 49, was charged with multiple crimes including conspiracy in the 2006 death of Megan Meier, 13. Drew posed on MySpace as a 16 year old boy name Josh Evans who started a relationship with Meier. Then, she proceeded to tell Meier that the relationship was over and that the world would be better off without her. Meier committed suicide in October 2006 by hanging herself. Not until 2008, though, was Drew indicted. Cyber bullying also involves harassment and stalking. This is especially so with victims of stalking and domestic violence in everyday life. Those who are already victims are now being monitored and stalked online. Attackers are also looking up blogs and posts from other people to find out what the victims are doing. This is becoming very serious because restraining orders are not covering this type of stalking.

Another issue with FaceBook and MySpace is identity theft. Identify theft has become a major issue, especially with the amount of information that can be easily given. For instance, many of these websites ask for very personal information such as first and last name, address, high school/college information, etc. While this is extremely useful in finding long lost friends, this information can end up in the wrong hands. Hackers can enter these sites and steal this very valuable information. This is especially true with the younger generation who do not know better. Another type of identity theft involves users creating false identities in order to further their own needs. In 2008, worm writers used fake accounts to spread their worms throughout the internet. These worms were used to in order to get valuable information from other users’ computers without them even knowing. Worms are not like virus. They do not “attack’ the computer and the user usually has no idea that they are even there. The worms travel through these social networking sites on to computers. Once they are burrow in the computers, they wait for commands from their creators, which allow information to be gained off the computers. This really is a major issue because many users, especially those who are younger and do not know about these dangers are being targeted. The younger generation is especially vulnerable because all they think about is making more friends online. They do not realize that not everyone on the internet is out to make friends. Unfortunately, too many people are out to cause harm. This is a lesson that we all need to learn.