Privacy & Confidentiality

There are numerous issues of privacy and confidentiality when it comes to new media.

New media is a relatively new concept for us, and one of the key issues with this is the legal system is having a hard time adapting to the constantly changing concepts on the Internet.

First, the use of the Internet is so widespread now that information is disseminated in the blink of an eye. There's a saying that what goes on the Internet stays there forever. It's pretty much true.

In terms of privacy and confidentiality, we'll look at social media. In recent years we've seen a steady increase in the demands for a safer, and more private social network. Historically, Facebook was not very consumer-friendly, in that its privacy options were very limited. Compound that with the rampant use of the network by teenagers, and you have a recipe for a privacy disaster. Teenagers generally don't know or don't believe in hiding their information, and as such, many blatantly display it thinking nothing of it. However, anyone with malicious intent can then take advantage of this information quite easily. We are at an age of technology where we can effectively look up someone's private information with a couple clicks - if they did not hide their information effectively. 
In response to this and many other issues that cropped up, Facebook did introduce a slew of privacy options for the security-intent users. However, they aren't intuitive at all to navigate, and often come with more issues than not.

Also, there are many other uses for social media networks that are not exactly ethical. For example, employers looking to hire may peruse social media networks of their potential employees, and look for any issues that stand out. It's might not be ethical, but it is an issue that many are not aware of.

In order to alleviate privacy concerns, Facebook and other social media networks should implement a series of privacy safeguards, that both help teach a user about privacy and why it's important, and give them a streamlined approach to guarding their information.

In terms of confidentiality, we have to wonder what uses our information become when it's put online. The Internet is too fresh for the legal system to catch up and there are many that try to take advantage. It's not uncommon for companies to buy lists of emails gained through other means and spam the users with promotional emails, as well as other unethical uses.

Until the legal system catches up and is able to directly deal with these issues, we have to be mindful and careful about what kind of information we put online, as well as what our information could be used to do.