Privacy

New media has caused a great breach in privacy for Internet users. Site like Google and Facebook are taking our personal information and spreading it to other data companies who wish to know the smallest details about us. Web surfing and social networking has advanced greatly over the years and it is has now become a very prevalent part of our lives. With the weight that the Internet holds today it is difficult to tell if it is the companies behind these site or the users who are to blame for privacy issues. For one websites gather information from advertisements, online purchases and profiles. However, like Target, companies can face security breaches with private customer information, like address and credit card numbers, being lost. But as far as social sites are concerned it is on the users to read the terms and agreements properly and to know not to post private information. It is crucial that people know where there information is going before they put it online. Anything shared via a social networking site is sent to everyone on that persons friends list but also to other agencies that are not. These agencies are composed of advertisers, researchers, marketing analyst, etc., who can share the obtained information with their fellow marketing and advertising firms. In order to really partake in networking though, part of the criteria is to share things like events, interest, relationship statuses, etc. but are we willing to sacrifice our privacy for a few Facebook posts? Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg once said that in today's society it has become the norm to share personal information.