July 2008

Is your space safe?

MSN, IM, SMS, Email, Facebook, My Space, everybody's space ... which really means we've opened our lives to the world. And in doing so, we've opened ourselves up for the possibility of harassment, stalking, defamation and bullying.

The prospect of making a new contact for your business, or setting up a hot date whilst sitting in your pyjamas on the lounge with your PC at 10pm, far outweighs a 7am networking breakfast for some.

But what are the downfalls?

Prior to technology, our lives were private. We couldn't Google our Friday night date on Monday, or open up the past life of a prospective employee from London.

We posted our family photos in the mail to friends, rather than in an online album' for the world to see.

We went for coffee and drinks with our friends, rather than sending them a virtual latte or Margarita. And these friends we knew personally for months or years - they weren't just a picture on a social website.

Our lives have become so consumed with commitments that we find it easier to send party invitations via Email, notify our friends of a birth via SMS, find a date via RSVP and post our latest holiday snaps on Facebook.

Time is money and money is time.

Therefore, online networking can work in our favour. But is it worth the risk to expose ourselves to the possibility of a stolen identity, defamation or bullying?

I know of a young woman who was recently the subject of an online incident. She added a friend of a friend to her online social group. They even met for dinner at his request.

However, when she declined his offer to pursue anything further than friendship, he sent a message of lies, defaming her character, to all of her male friends.

Some of these friends were in fact colleagues, mentors and associates. It was then obvious that this friend' had in fact been keeping a list of her male friends in that social group.

Despite her friends forwarding the message and complaints to the site administrator, the perpetrator was allowed to continue having a profile on this site.

His actions constitute harassment and online bullying. Unfortunately, our judicial system means that our laws are yet to catch up with technology.

If we continue to utilise the advantages of technology, we need to take steps to protect ourselves. It is easy for someone to obtain our mobile number, children's names or regular holiday spot through the information we choose to share.

But if we take small steps, such as researching the privacy options on social sites, or only sharing minimal personal information conducive to a postal address and email, then we decrease our risk.

If government agencies and private corporations won't share our information with the outside world due to the Privacy Act, then what Personal Privacy Act are we adopting for our own protection and peace of mind?

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