1) Facebook is a private company, not a government actor like a
police officer or public school official. Do you think private
companies should be allowed to act differently from government
actors when collecting or sharing your personal information?
Explain.
2) What might be some of the risks/consequences associated with
posting your personal information on Facebook?
3) There are reports that potential employers and even
universities are looking at applicants Facebook pages to see
whether they have posted inappropriate content. Does that seem fair
to you? If you were hiring an employee, would you check out their
Facebook page?
Answer
1)Private companies and government actors should not be allowed
to act differently when collecting or sharing information. The same
privacy and data sharing laws must apply to both as both are
responsible for keeping personal data safe. Private companies must
safeguard personal privacy and government must not use the personal
information to hound general public. Governments have a tendency to
use personal data against its own people or people who are opposed
to government policies. Private companies use the data to earn
profits and also to manipulate user behaviors.Therefore, strict
laws must be applicable for both governments and private companies
alike.
2)Some of the risks or consequences of posting personal
information on Facebook are
a)Facebook might share the data with other companies or
advertisers.
b)Your personal data might end up with fraudulent companies or
people who might try to cheat you.
c)Your credentials might be stolen or used by scammers to commit
crimes, identity theft etc.
d)People can easily track your physical location. Real-life
threats can be issued by people who don’t like you.
3) Employers and other institutions will always try to find out
about your characters and opinions to see if they are culturally
fit in their organizations. While it is fair for employers to avoid
troublesome employees, colleges and educational institutions should
refrain from doing so as there is an educational institution and
people from all backgrounds and views should be allowed to study
and change themselves for the better. Universities are learning
spaces and hence should not be doing background checks whereas
employers can do so. If i was hiring an employee, i would not check
their facebook profile as it is their personal views and has no
bearing on their professional competencies.
