Security of Social Networks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Security of Social Networks - Essay Example The explosion in social networking marks a new stage in the global evolution of technologies and media. Social networking is merely about technologies but about human interactions. For thousands of young people, creating and updating social network content is an important part of their daily routines and a driver of their identity formation (Livingstone 2008). It is through social networks that people create and reconstruct their identities and invite convergence among their daily activities and social networking technologies. The most popular social networks, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace attract millions of new users every day. Social networking is often believed to be a technological embodiment of the twenty-first century’s lifelogging. In this sense, social networking can be legally defined as â€Å"the practice of using a web site or other interactive computer service to expand one’s business or social network†. These web-based applications and solutions ar e used by individuals and groups to construct a public or semi-public profile, create and articulate connections with other users of the same network, and view and manage their own and their friends’ connections within the given social network. The uniqueness of social networks is not only in that they allow for creating productive social connection but also that they make other social networks and connections visible to users. Social networks enhance public connectivity and impose new social expectations on users. Needless to say, not all social network users are fair and honest. Social networking has far-reaching legal implications. Apart from unprecedented self-expression and community engagement opportunities, social networking enables and facilitates the main dangers of the Internet age. More specifically, social networks attract those who use them to download malware, spam, steal private information and use it in criminal schemes (Nelson, Simek & Foltin 2009). Therefore , social networking is equally a remarkable achievement and a serious threat to the future of Internet technologies. Nonetheless, most, if not all, these threats can be easily tackled by means of wise social network policies, sophisticated security protection, regularly updated software and hardware, and perfect understanding of the risks posed by social networks in the global online reality. Legal controversies. Social networking is surrounded by much legal controversy. At once, the concept of social networking lacks a single legal definition (Terry 2010). Most of what is currently known about social networks and their legal features is due to the hard work of