Family and Child Online Safety Blog - SafetyClicks

The media blitz and ensuing consumer outcry over Facebook's recent attempt to change their Terms of Service indicating complete ownership of anything its users post even after they are long gone has, if nothing else, raised awareness of the privacy (or perceived privacy) of content we post on the Internet.

Whether you believe that Facebook really wanted to own and use everything that you ever posted at any time in the foreseeable future or if they were attempting to legally capture what actually happens to the content we post, or if you're somewhere in between, you should realize the potential consequences of posting and sharing content online.

As a social media user or a parent of a child who use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, here is the takeaway:

Be cautious of what you post and share with others. Once you share content - pictures, videos, stories, artwork or any other originally created work - with just one person online, you relinquish control over its potential distribution and use.

This is not a new phenomenon brought about by social networks, it has been around since the advent of e-mail, however, the volume of content has grown and become much more personal today. Social networks have become an extension of our lives – they're our family photo albums, our high school reunions, our workplace meeting ground, our venting platform and much more. So, the thought of this information circulating and used in a manner that we didn't intend can be disconcerting.

Just remember the Internet is a medium of sharing as demonstrated with features such as copy and snag it. You can remove the content from your site and decide not to share it any longer, but it doesn't always take it out of circulation – those with whom you shared and with whom they shared may still have a copy or may have posted it to another site.

The best rule of thumb is to post and share content with the understanding that it could be further shared, posted and remain on the Internet permanently. If you are not comfortable with that, the content probably shouldn't be posted. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't use social networking sites. I use them on a daily basis and will continue to do so. However, I do want to raise awareness and suggest that you and your family take caution when posting and sharing. Young people especially tend not to understand the far reaching consequences of what they share. The Internet has a permanent memory.

Read more about Sharing Information Online.