Privacy and Facebook

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Privacy and Facebook
	Advancement in science and technology plays a pivotal role in facilitating communication process among the people especially through social networking sites. Facebook is one of the social networking sites with the highest number of users worldwide. It creates a social platform where users can share, exchange information, opinions and ideas with other people worldwide.  However, like other social networking sites, facebook is faced with challenge ethical dilemmas related to privacy..
1.	Identify the ethical dilemmas
	Lack of adequate privacy on personal information is one of the key dilemmas facing facebook users. According to facebook default setting, all information posted by users is accessible to other people with facebook accounts thus lowering the level of privacy. Personal information such as email and phone number is shared out without the owner’s permission; an idea amounting to a breach of confidentiality principle (Vijayan, 10). It has been established that facebook links with third parties such as advertisement companies and relay users personal information to them (Neil, 5). Beacon programs run behind facebook accounts and track all the transactions undertaken by the user. The information is later conveyed to third party. Facebook users should be allowed to delete their accounts rather than deactivating them. Lack of this provision undermines users’ rights.
2) Evaluate how other people would be affected by various solutions to your
dilemma(s). 
	In order to enhance privacy, more privacy setting on users’ wall should be provided. For instance, one cannot access person personal information via facebook. It is only the account holder who can authorize sharing of his/her personal information. This will lower level of interaction between the user and other facebook users. Advertisement companies will lack potential online buyers thus lowering their revenues.
3. Discuss the pros and cons of alternative courses of action
Pros
Enhance privacy and confidentiality: Providing more privacy settings will enhance users’ confidentiality and privacy since the information is not available to third party. 
Enhance the credibility of information: The user will only be provided with credibly information derived from reliable sources. 
Cons
High privacy setting may provoke hacking of personal information on facebook accounts compared to when the information is available on facebook. It will hinder users from sharing information freely as one cannot access the wall of the other user.
4) Recommending a decision.
Privacy in social networking sites cannot be attained without support from subscribes. Facebook users should update their privacy setting to enhance confidentiality. Additionally, an independent body should be established to oversee implementation of privacy setting in facebook.
5. Rationale
Establishing of an independent regulatory organ will ensure that facebook and other social networking sites effectively implement privacy policies. This move will prevent social networking sites from transmitting users’ personal information to third parties.















Work cited.
Neil Kokemmuller, Security and Ethical Issues of Information Systems: Retrieved on 20th October, 2012 from Security & Ethical Issues of Information Systems | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_6965834_security-ethical-issues-information-systems.html#ixzz29pcmRnBG
Vijayan, Jaikumar. Blockbuster sued over Facebook Beacon information sharing; Retrieved on 20th October, 2012 from http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9078938/Blockbuster_sued_over_Facebook_Beacon_information_sharing?taxonomyId=146&taxonomyName=standard