Users abuse Facebook

By Chelsea Dutton

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Internet users use Facebook for more than just to meet fellow college students. Giving too much information could make students vulnerable to identity theft and stalking.

Devon Vaughan, Versailles, Mo., sophomore, encountered the risk of revealing too much information.

A man found her class schedule on Facebook — an online social network aimed to connect the college population.

He began constantly sending her instant messages asking her about her hobbies, classes, and friends. Finally, she blocked him from sending messages.

While Facebook is a fun, social networking system for some students, it may put users at risk. Posting a real telephone number or address could create a dangerous situation, said Kathy Rose-Mockry, director of the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center.

“I would have never thought someone would go as far as stalking me, but it turned out to get pretty creepy,” Vaughan said.

Through Facebook, students are able to create a profile as well as post their school courses, a picture of themselves and even put up their cell phone numbers and home addresses.

Once created, the profile can be viewed by peers at their school who are signed up for Facebook and those added as friends. Students don’t know who might look at their profile, write down their information and show up at their door the next day.

Rose-Mockry warned students about stalking. She said that it was not just females victims, but men can also be stalked. Added to that is “fun harassment,” where a person repeatedly calls or “cyber stalks” an individual by e-mailing them excessively. A student can become a victim of identity theft if they post enough personal information.

Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, said in an e-mail that Facebook was a secure Web site with a “myriad of privacy options.”

“We’re confident that our members are intelligent enough not to give out any personal information that they want to be public,” Hughes said in an e-mail.

If any user does use the network inappropriately, Facebook will kick the person off the Web site, Hughes said. Students can also block particular users from seeing their profile by going to the privacy options page.

Capt. Schuyler Bailey, KU Public Safety Office spokesman, warned students to post a limited amount of information about them, especially regarding addresses and date of birth. It is information that other people do not need to know.

Bailey reminded students that even if their school is the only one to directly see the profile, they don’t know every user that accesses their profiles.

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