Facebook Under Investigation

On Monday, the New York State Attorney General's Office said they are investigating and have subpoenaed the safety and privacy policies of the popular social networking site Facebook. The office claims that despite filing complaints with Facebook about unwelcomed activity and messages to their undercover profile of underage users, Facebook has not taken timely and appropriate action.

Earlier this year, attorney generals representing eight states sent a letter to MySpace requesting information on known sex offenders on its site, and MySpace had cooperated with their request.

As with any emerging technology and venue for information exchange, there will be those who wish to use it for nefarious ends. As MySpace and Facebook becomes even more ubiquitous, it is incumbent upon administrators to set appropriate computer use policies — especially in workplaces and public access labs — to be aware of the pitfalls and risks of these emerging technologies.

.........................................................

Discuss This in Our Forums

What security considerations is your organization taking into account with social networking sites? Share your opinions in this Emerging Technologies forum discussion.