In
the article “The Perils of Over-sharing in Social Networks” Emm (2014) advises
that social network users should be cautious about sharing their personal
information online as “cybercriminals” or other third parties may exploit them.
Emm also recommends that users keep their online profiles private and secured
to prevent theft of information.
Emm's idea about the importance of taking security measures
against information exploitation is valid and wise; however, it would have been
more beneficial if he had elaborated on how the flow of any information online
is, unfortunately, beyond our control. The article mainly focused on protection of accounts against strangers and theft, but did not go into detail on advising
users about inappropriate content that they are uploading online, with or without the extra security measures. Ultimately, the content is what third parties are
interested in, in which an account without any useful information will not be
worth the effort hacking.
The idea of being able to completely protect information
online is naïve and flawed, as they are readily available to multiple parties,
including your friends and most definitely the providers of the social networking
platforms. There is a staggering amount of examples where individuals have
stolen their friends’ information on social networking platforms for their own
benefits. One example that immediately comes to my mind is one that happened
to an officer when I was serving in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Cameras were prohibited in SAF camps to which offenders will be punished if found in
possession of one. Yet, the officer proceeded to upload a selfie of him in
his office on a private Instagram account, with the assurance that the
information is protected from outsiders. Undoubtedly, it was not a smart move
where he was reported by one of his followers and duly punished. The takeaway
here is not that we should be hiding our wrongdoings from the Internet although
we most definitely should, but that any information that is shared among
friends is open to their interpretation and usage. Once any information is made
known to others, we will not be able to control its flow, as we are not able to
control the actions of others. Furthermore, with the loose definition of what a
“friend” is on social networking platforms, we have even more reasons to be
vigilant about how we act online. The tips that were provided by Emm can
certainly minimize the amount of access to our information but it will not
eradicate the problem of information exploitation.
The other issue about sharing information online is that online platforms are not as secured as what we think. In the past few
years, we have seen the introduction of various online data backup platforms,
iCloud being one of the pioneers. Although Apple had claimed that iCloud was “more than a mere product" and "a strategy for the next decade” (Dignan, 2012), it was plagued with technical and security issues leading to information being compromised. The most commonly known issue was the hacking
and leaking of various celebrities’ nude photos. A more recent example will be the Xiaomi data breach that occurred during October, last year. While there is
only so much we can do to protect our accounts, these events remind us
that technology may let us down in ways that we would be unable to defend ourselves.
It is extremely important that we prevent such occurrences from happening by
not uploading any confidential information at all. Furthermore, with the
introduction of auto-sync feature on various devices, there are many occasions
where information is uploaded online without the intention of the users. It is
probably wiser then, to give a second thought on what should even be
recorded on your digital device.
(621 words)
References:
Emm, D (2014, March 21) The perils of over-sharing in social
networks. Huffpost Tech Retrieved
from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/david-emm/the-perils-of-over-sharing-in-social-networks_b_5005276.html
Dignan, L (2012, Jan 25) Apple’s Cook: iCloud more than a
mere product. CNET. Retrieved from http://www.cnet.com/news/apples-cook-icloud-more-than-mere-product/
Arthur, C (2014, Sep 01) Naked Celebrity hack: security experts focus on iCloud backup theory. theguardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/01/naked-celebrity-hack-icloud-backup-jennifer-lawrence
Hi Chuye!
ReplyDeleteHere's some comments for you to consider:
Content & Organisation:
Generally, great flow on your writing. You went on by giving an overview of the article and mentioned which points you felt should be included in the original article.
However, we felt that you might want to emphasise the severity of consequences faced by the two (security measures vs content), if you want to make a statement that and the content to be shared online is MORE IMPORTANT than taking security measures.
The response you've written had elaborated on the consequences of uploading inappropriate information and less on making a comparison between the seriousness of the issue, which is your thesis statement - "Agree with author that security measures should be taken; however, the more important issue is to be aware of what to share and what not to share online"
We also felt that the below two statements were merely claims and needed to be supported with evidence/citations/research:
"The idea of being able to completely protect information online is naïve and flawed, as they are readily available to multiple parties, including your friends and most definitely the providers of the social networking platforms"
"A more recent example will be the Xiaomi data breach that occurred during October, last year. "
Language use:
Language use was simple to understand. Overall, we do not see a problem.
Cheers!
Jovyn & Anvis