The Daily Campus

Issue date: 10/26/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Erin Mizla For many, Facebook is a great place to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones. However, some say that information posted on Internet sites like Facebook may have unforseen consequences.

It's hard to imagine a time when having a computer in a dorm room wasn't common, and in order to find out what your friends were doing you'd actually have to walk down the hall and knock on their door.

In today's technology-savvy society, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is becoming the common way to set up dinner dates, Facebook is a way to keep in touch with high school pals and web logs replace the daily gossip column. With a growing attachment to the Internet, comes a false sense of security that can lead to trouble in the future if the user isn't careful.

Kristine Nowak, an assistant professor in the department of communication services, said many people think their presence on the Internet is more anonymous than it really is.

"Anything you put on the Internet you better be ready to see again in 20 years," Nowak said. "Your kids will someday go online and see you."
Johanna Elsensohn, a 7th-semester biology and Spanish major, joined Facebook last fall because her roommate wanted her to join. She checks it twice a week.

"[Facebook is] an easy way to communicate with people when you don't have time to write an e-mail or talk on the phone," Elsensohn said, "But it can be bad because everyone has access to it. Many people don't think other people will check it."

Brittany Perrone, a 5th-semester HDFS major, agreed with Elsensohn.
"People put way too much information up there," Perrone said. "It makes you vulnerable, like your home address. People can find you, which can be good or bad or whatever."

According to an article in The Boston Globe on Sept. 27, Brandeis University runs a program for its incoming students on proper Internet etiquette. New students are also informed that some university administrators are checking Facebook entries before hiring students for campus positions.

The Facebook web site, www.facebook.com, states in its terms and conditions when you put information in any part of the site you "automatically grant ... represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to Facebook, an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, perform, display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such information ... and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing."

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