Can Facebook really be private?

Facebook quickly became one of the most popular hobbies for a college student years ago, when it first appeared. Now that facebook as expanded its networks, not only to college students, but to hight school and city networks it is hard to find someone who has doesn’t have/has never had an account. Becuase there are so many people that use facebook and put pictures on their profile and comment to each other, there is a lot of information that is available to hundreds of people that may or may not be appropiate for the different types of publics. There is also the issue that there may be something said or shown that another person involved would not want to be put on the internet. For example, a person puts a picture on facebook and tags another person in in. If that other person does not feel the picture is ok to leave on facebook all they can really do is “un-tag”, but the picture will still be in the original album.

Of course to try and protect what is seen by one’s “friends”, networks, and random people who search for you facebook installed different privacy options, but how much do those options help keep one’s information private? If you block your profile from people who search you, your friends can still see certain things; if you block your friends they can’t see specific things or anything. Then the question arises, “what is the point of even having a facebook profile in the first place?”

There are also arguments that say once you  put something on the internet, no matter where or on what database, it is forever and will always be on the internet and someone, somewhere, somehow will be able to see it.

All in all, if a person doesn’t want something to be seen by one or a number of people then they shouldn’t put it on a facebook profile, period! Even if you do block one person, more than likely they will have a friend or know someone who has access to everything. Therefore, facebook can’t ever really be absolutly private. If a person doesn’t want an employer, parent, girlfriend/boyfriend to see something on their profile the best thing is to not put it on in the first place or delete it immediately.

If something inappropiate is place on facebook it can determine whether you get the job or not, get in a fight with a loved one, or determine certain events in one’s social life. Everyone must be careful with what they put on their facebook, becuase you never know who will have the access to see it and how it will affect your life.