Although internet privacy issues are not new, they are not something to be taken for granted. Today, sharing of information can be done through many different means. A careless attitude among users has developed when it comes to giving out private information. At first there were no harsh consequences, but the explosion of giving away private information has killed privacy. Users willingly give away their privacy mainly through social networking, but except when they are affected, they really don’t care about this.

By posting her European summer vacation pictures on Facebook, one high school English teacher in Georgia lost her job. The school authorities said that the pictures “promote alcohol use” and “contained profanity”. Her pictures showed her holding a glass of wine and a mug of beer. She has sued the school, but this experience is something that should teach a lesson to every social networking enthusiast. It is not safe to share even those well-meaning photos in the internet.

The teacher claimed that she carefully chose the options in the privacy settings on her Facebook account. She believed that such restrictions would allow only her closest friends to see her pictures, but she lost her job because of them. This is clear proof that privacy settings do not save a user from exploitation. It is probable that one of her friends posted her photos somewhere else. Being careful with what one posts does not guarantee internet safety.

It is common for many internet users to provide some personal information once they sign up for a website. It is also common for users to not read the privacy policies of the websites that they sign up for. This uploaded information can be used for different purposes, but users do not realize that this happens until they are affected. To make matters worse, many websites are now literally relaxing their privacy policies.

Surprisingly, many users freely give their information in exchange for some offers. The present trend in social networking is to offer some freebies or added apps and services, but before the user can benefit from this, he or she must first provide some information. Without any reservations, many online users will gladly supply the data asked of them.

It used to be that privacy policies openly gave the details of how collected data will be treated. However, there is a now a move towards relaxing these privacy policies. Privacy experts say this is troubling because it is becoming all too common. This means that many internet websites are becoming less protective over their collected data.

Facebook continues to offer additional features and innovations by changing its privacy settings. It did this despite steaming reactions from users regarding the manner in which it has presented past changes. Criticisms have been hurled every time the social media giant introduced a new service. There are those who would say that it never learned its lesson because Facebook is once again rolling out a new feature without its users’ knowledge.

By changing its privacy settings, the company was able to deliver its latest media sharing tool. The new service feature called “Tag Suggestions” automatically recognizes a user’s face. Whenever a user prepares an image to be tagged, Tag Suggestions maps the user’s face and then detects whether or not there are matching images in the same or other albums. If matching images are found, these images are automatically tagged. This saves the user from individually tagging each image.

However, a problem arises when somebody else does the tagging. There is a possibility that you can be tagged in an incriminating situation although there is no intention of this happening. The one tagging might not be careful enough to inspect each tagged item individually for possible problems. The problem could be worse if someone would intentionally drag you into a compromised situation with your photos.

If you are one of those social media buffs who mindlessly share information, then you’d better start thinking about what you are doing. Chances are that you have uploaded some sensitive information that might cause you to be denied future employment. Those online mistakes that were innocently done can actually harm you. How painful would it be that when the time comes, what you once thought of as just a game could cost you a good job. You’d better start being careful.

At first this matter was seen as another privacy issue, so it started another clamor of media hypes and criticisms. There were those who were scared knowing that their social media activities could pin them down. Speculations emerged here and there, but it turned out that most of those were wrong. What is the issue under such scrutiny? The FTC has given one company the authority to run background checks on job applicants using their internet and social media history!

These background checks would be done on job applicants without their consent. Employers can put in a request for a report of the search done on job applicants through the authorized company. This report would tell whether the applicants “PASSED” or “FAILED”, as a result of what the search found in their social media files. It is clear that the speculation circled around the previous report that the authorized company stores seven years’ worth of social media data. However, the truth is that it only looks at up to seven years of the applicants’ history and stores nothing.

Users of all ages have been infected by the social media craze, and there’s one interesting topic that deals with social media rules for new moms. Babble.com has suggested some rules of etiquette that parents are encouraged to follow when it comes to their posting. These rules specifically deal with the use of some information about their children. New moms in particular have the habit of sharing anything that they consider as their child’s highlight or happy moment.

These moms don’t have any idea that posting these pictures could involve privacy issues. They would unconsciously share their child’s photos and other activities on a social network. While this could be safe to some degree, Babble.com recommends that parents be cautious when doing so. Rules have been given for sharing information because some of this information could cause some questions on etiquette and privacy.

Moms should be extra careful not to share details about their babies’ bathroom habits. There is no way to tell the story in a manner so that it would appear in good taste. The truth remains that they are posting something ridiculous. Moms should not join those who poison the web with trash content.

The need for the U.S. government to curb illegal immigration and illegal employment has spawned yet another privacy issue. There is a proposed bill that would force employers to have new employees go through a system called E-Verify. As expected, this has stoked extensive privacy concerns from different groups. The ACLU, EFF, and other civil liberties organizations, along with labor and privacy groups, moved for the rejection of the Legal Workforce Act of 2011.

The E-Verify system is an internet-based system for employment eligibility verification. According to its proponents, the use of the system will screen those seeking employment in the U.S., making it easier for the government to pinpoint illegal immigrants. It will assure that employers only hire those who are legally qualified to work in the U.S.

Employers face penalties of up to $25,000 and imprisonment of at least one year if they refuse to use E-Verify. The law requires employers to compare their employees’ records in the DHS and SSA databases with the information these employees supply upon hiring. There will also be a comparison of Social Security numbers provided by the new hires with those on record. Furthermore, the proposed bill will require employers to take the fingerprints of employees as a pilot biometric authentication program.

Children cannot help but be fascinated with the vast resources that they encounter on the internet. About 90% of school age children have access to the internet either at school or at home. With this accessibility, children have become so skilled that they can search many different sites. However, they forget that there are privacy and safety issues to think about. Internet surfing is different from going to the park where you see different things without anything to worry about.

Parents fear that the more their children explore, the more they are prone to encounter online criminals. Children below 18 years old are most vulnerable to this. They have become very careless about giving out important personal information. They believe it is normal for them to submit personal data to websites. They give no second thought to uploading photos, posting comments, giving out their email and/or home addresses, and other personal information.

It is important that parents get personally involved with their children’s internet activities. Child privacy on the internet works well only when parents make an effort to keep them safe. When children understand that their parents only want to protect them, then internet exploration becomes family time. Children will welcome their parents as allies rather than as intruders. This way, parents have firsthand information about which sites their children get into and the dangers they can encounter.

SafeKids.com is here to calm your fears about internet safety and to provide advice on how kids can stay safer online. As one of the oldest internet safety sites, SafeKids.com has been building good relationships between parents and children regarding online experiences for quite a long time. It contains a lot of important information that parents need to know when it comes to keeping kids safe on the internet.

Technology journalist Larry Magid created and founded this very useful site. He is known for his outstanding work and contributions, one of which being the 1994 brochure “Child Safety on the Information Highway”. His online safety articles have helped parents to keep their child’s online activities relatively safe.

Online safety of children has been the focus of SafeKids.com. This issue is mainly the concern of parents, but also concerns children. The site recognizes the fear felt by parents, and it addresses this by providing articles that give good advice. Topics range from safe search, safety tools, safety guides, social networking privacy tools, and more.