Another issue of privacy

I went to the bottom left-hand corner of my screen and clicked the 'e' icon for Internet Explorer. It redirected me to MSN, as it always does, and as I was paroling through the news stories of the day I came across a very interesting case. This article I found was titled "Olympian Outs Stalker on Facebook, triggers debate". Instantly I became interested especially because of all the rising concerns regarding privacy on Facebook and other social media sites. So naturally I clicked the bolded title so that I could read more.

A woman who is training for the London Olympics this year, Adriane Friedrich, has an alleged stalker and she has decided to post his full name, explicit emails he has sent her, and his hometown on Facebook for all her friends to see. Not only is there controversy arising over her decision to take his privacy into her hands, but Friedrich is also a police officer. Since she is a police officer, I believe she should be held to a higher standard when it comes to citizens and their rights when being accused of a crime. I think this time she not only shamed herself as a woman of law enforcement but also shamed that man. Without possibly presenting the whole information, her Facebook supporters now have the right to make inaccurate assumptions.

I understand where she is coming from on this situation, because no one, especially a woman wants a stalker. The problem, however, I do have with her response is that the alleged stalker had no chance whatsoever to control his privacy within this. She has the rights to use all of what Facebook offers and she put those rights into practice, but this time against the well-being of another person. Facebook cannot control what people choose to post to their site, they can only control generic settings, so because of this there unfortunately is free reign, even if that does include demeaning another individual.

Now I want to set this straight, in no way am I saying that what the stalker did is okay because that is a crime and he should be dealt with accordingly but I am saying that this could have been handled in a more discreet way as to protect both parties involved. Social Networking Sites are dangerous for this specific reason. Not only do those who are friends with both parties on Facebook know, but now those who have read any online news today are also informed. Online is a dangerous avenue to share any information on, let alone private. This story can serve as an example to be on guard with what you choose to share and also who you choose to associate with in the online world.

To read the full story, follow this link Olympian Outs Stalker on Facebook, triggers debate