Are Social Networks Responsible for Teen Suicides?

Within the past year, the area surrounding town of Bridgend in Wales has been rocked with no less than 14 young people taking their own lives. In the past days, two more suicides of young people living in the area have been reported.

Deep in to each article about this growing trend are often paragraphs mentioning each lost teenager were part of the Bebo social network, and knew each other. This, coupled with the geographical location, has lead to fears of a suicide pact, or secret organisation where members take their own life for fame.

The story is distressing to many that have never even been to Wales, but for those interested in social media, the Bebo angle, plus the fame aspect, is a trend that I do not believe should be ignored.

I have always been of the opinion that it is the person using the tool, not the tool itself, that is the issue - akin to the phrase "Guns don't kill people, people kill people". I am still of this view, vehemently, and so would argue against anyone Bebo, if indeed it's offerings have been used in any way in this tragedy. Certainly in this tragic case, you cannot argue this is a widespread phenomenon.

Many reports of the British press have mentioned eulogy websites for those that have died, some suggesting their social network profiles of kind messages of sympathy are part of the young people's motivation for suicide. That either dedicated sites, or existing profile pages, are filled with messages that maybe they feel haven't been given whilst alive. A permanent memory of them - fame.

Some would say, especially right-wing press here in Britain, that social networks (or the entire internet) needs policing, and monitoring. They will howl that any tool used in freedom by young people will poison them. Even if the only evidence for such measures is extremely rare cases such as this.

I cannot agree with them, maybe you do? Maybe the fact that most social networking applications are used by a young, vulnerable, impressionable demographic urges you to consider its true merits, taking in to account possible downsides.

Please leave your thoughts in the comments. I would also like to extend my heart-felt sympathies to all those involved in these tragic and unfair circumstances.

Matt Harwood
mattharwood.co.uk

Warning: Social Networks are a Haven for Spammers and Scammers

Online communities are a hugely important part of the online experience. I have no doubt that their importance will continue to grow as people look to harness the power of the Internet to chat with friends, network and find new people with similar interests. Advertisers will also become more attracted to social networks and other online communities as their importance grows.

As a result of this growth, more and more social networks are appearing online. If you decide to set one up, you need to be aware of one of the major potential pitfalls: social networks are highly attractive to spammers and scammers.

Social networks: My definition

I define a social network as any type of membership based site that exists to bring people together. The Just Chat email penpals (http://www.justchat.co.uk/epals) section falls within this category - users register, fill out a profile and then search for and correspond with other members.

Social networks: The attraction to spammers and scammers

These social networks are a highly prized target for spammers and scammers because of the potential number of people they can gain access to. Unlike spam email lists which can be full of fake or no longer used addresses, a spammer or scammer can be pretty confident that the majority of accounts within a social network are linked to real people who will read their messages. Indeed, many social networks display information on when a user last logged in - this allows such undesirable users to only target those who are clearly genuine, active members of the community.

Almost all social networks are free to join - therefore the spammers and scammers need not make any investment other than their time in order to gain access to a site’s database of members. They simply sign up, and start sending messages to members.

How to combat spammers and scammers

Unfortunately there is no 100% fool-proof way of combating such users - not that I know of, anyway! To prevent such users affecting the Just Chat epals section, I take the following action:

* Every single new profile is manually approved before a user can gain access
* A limit is placed on the number of messages that can be sent each day
* Warnings against spammers and scammers appear prominently around the internal mail section
* Clear safety advice is provided, along with information on how to report undesirable members

Why you need to combat spammers and scammers

Manually approving or declining every single email penpals account is certainly a chore, however it is currently a necessary one. I would estimate that on average, around a third of all new accounts are set up by spammers and Nigerian 419 scammers. I am now pretty good at spotting these and cannot remember the last time a user contacted me to report such a member.

By keeping the epals database relatively free of such users, it makes the section far more pleasant for my users. Members do not want to be bombarded with spam and potential scams every day - if they are, they will soon leave the site never to return. One message every now and again may be accepted, as long as the member is aware that once they report the incident, immediate action will be taken. Once it becomes a regular occurrence however, you can kiss that member goodbye.

As an online community developer, you have an obligation to keep your members safe. Nigerian 419 scammers are no joke - on occasion they are successful at robbing people for every penny they have, and have been known to use violence to achieve their goals. You need to educate your members about such people, and the potential dangers of meeting people they only know online in real life. Similarly, you need to advise your members to never reveal personal information and to report any members that ask for such information to you immediately.

A spam free community is a happy community

Before establishing your own social network, you need to be aware that it will be a target for spammers and scammers. By being aware of this, you can draw up an action-plan on how you will combat them. A community that is harbouring such undesirable members will struggle to be successful, and your reputation will be at risk. If you don’t have a spam and scam-free community, you cannot expect to retain members.

Do you run a social network? How do you deal with spammers and scammers? Share your thoughts, opinions and experiences by leaving a comment below.

Martin Reed - communityspark.com

Hate Groups Could Land Social Networking Sites in Court

Social networking forums, where users give full vent to their gripes about everyone from gas providers and airline companies to the local bus operator, have caught the eye of media lawyers, who warn that such postings may be leaving sites such as Facebook and MySpace open to libel actions.

Advertisers raised concerns last summer over the kind of user-generated content they could be associated with on such sites, and there are now growing fears over so-called "hate pages", such as Facebook's "I hate BT".

Under current legislation, if website owners remove defamatory material as soon as they are aware of it, then they are not liable. But lawyer Nick Armstrong, writing in Media Law, published by Sweet & Maxwell, sees serious legal risks in allowing users to establish groups and pages whose sole purpose is to invite aggressive criticism of organisations and individuals. He also believes that website owners need a better grasp of their responsibilities.

"Social networking sites are perhaps being too complacent about some of the risks in this area," says Armstrong, a partner at law firm Charles Russell. "There is a widespread but inaccurate belief that posters of defamatory material are liable rather than websites themselves, but this should not be taken as a green light for social networking sites to allow users to say whatever they please."

Risk of defamation

He argues that the courts may decide that current laws do not absolve sites of responsibility if they could reasonably have known in advance that libellous comments would be made.

"Sites would be safest if they didn't allow 'I hate' pages because a court is likely to say - however impractical it is - that Facebook, or whoever, should have known that there was a risk of defamation." They could be liable for, in effect, inciting users to post defamatory material, he adds.

That leaves social networking sites with two headaches. How do they close such groups, and is it really right to decide what users should and should not discuss?

Armstrong agrees that shutting down "hate groups" is not the way forward, but says that websites need to react faster when complaints come in - which can be difficult as sites grow.

"It's like something out of Kafka trying to get through to Google, for instance. The danger with these sites is that they are so big that a complaint might not be acted on fast enough."

Facebook would not say whether it had considered banning "hate groups", but a spokeswoman did point to the site's terms of use. Users are told they cannot post content that "makes threats of any kind or that intimidates, harasses, or bullies anyone, is derogatory, demeaning, malicious, defamatory, abusive, offensive or hateful".

guardian.co.uk

Online Safety on MySpace and Other Social Networking Sites

Safety Tips for Social Networking

Social Networks or Online Communities have become an integral part of the lives of many teenagers today. There are some real dangers involved, as there are in off-line aspects of a young person’s life. But rather than attempting to deny access and participation in this form of online socializing, we suggest that with some common sense, open, calm dialogue, and simple guidelines, participation in an online community can be a safe and enriching experience. Here are our tips for making this happen (More information about social networking is available by scrolling down this page.):

For Parents:

1. We recommend a minimum age of 16 for participation in on online community. Generally, children younger than 16 are not mature enough to handle the opportunities and challenges of social networking.


2. Begin an open conversation about your teens' social networking experience. Try to establish a context for discussion that is not combative or accusing.


3. Create your own account on MySpace or another social network. Spend some time browsing the network's site. This will give you familiarity with the world that is so essential to your teen(s) and their friends and will facilitate future conversations.


4. If your child has an account, require that they show it to you. Periodically monitor/read it.


5. Set the expectation that only people they know in real life should be on their "friends" list.


6. Know your children's passwords, screen names and account information. This will enable you to view their pages even if they set their profile to "private". (Private profiles are accounts that can only be viewed by thers given explicit permission to view it. This is a double-edged sword, in that it means strangers [like sexual predators] don't have an easy way to learn about or harass the private account owner. However, it also means that without being granted access, parents and other adults in positions of authority or care-giving cannot view the online activity of the owner either.)


7. Remove online privileges if it becomes a problem. This is only as a last resort and keep it mind that a young person can establish an account and access it school, the library, or a friend's house. Clearly, open dialog and trust is best.


8. As another last resort, consider installing keystroke capturing software on your family computer from www.getnetwise.org. Again, this won't deal with your child's using computers away from home.


9. Talk with other parents, with teachers, and other adults who work with kids. Also, check out the links to other helpful websites below.

For Children:

1. Talk with your parents. Let them learn and understand the role of social networking in your life.


2. Never post anything you wouldn't want your parents, teachers, or future employers to see.
   


3. Never post personal information (phone number, E-mail or address) on the web. The same applies for your friends' information. Be aware that information you post could put you at risk of victimization


4. Never meet with anyone you first “met” online and tell your parent if anyone requests a meeting.


5. Only add people as friends if you know then in real life. Set privacy settings so that you have to approve people to be added as a friend.


6. Include your parents and other trusted adults as friends. If your parents do not have an account, give them access to your profile.

What is Social Networking ?

Social Networking is a term used to describe the fairly recent breed of websites, also referred to as online communities. These sites generally enable their subscribers to post a journal and various forms of media content, to generate and maintain relationships with other participants, and to engage in discussions around common interests with others. Some of the most popular social networks are in the U.S. are MySpace, Xanda, LiveJournal, BlackPlanet, MiGente, AsianAvenue, Bolt, Hi5, Facebook, and Friendster.

These sites are immensely popular with teens and young adults and have become an integral part of their lives, much like television was for their parents. Social networks or online communities offer great opportunities for self-expression, relational support, new experiences, helpful information and just plain fun.

What are risks?

Objectionable Content:
On many online communities, users post material that is not appropriate for children or that many parents would find objectionable. This can include obscene language, racist or violent text or images, and a wide range of sexual content including pornography.

Overexposure:
Parents need to be concerned not only with what their children might see and hear, but also what they may present. Teens can make unwise decisions about what they post online. This includes posting pictures of himself or herself or of friends in a sexually provocative or incriminating manner; publishing personal information that sexual predators could use to learn more about a child or their friends; or bragging about exploits (real or made-up) or making threatening and harassing remarks that could have negative consequences.

Contact with predators: Much publicity has been generated around sexual predators (mainly adults) looking for minors to exploit. There are such individuals who frequent online communities that teens use. Sometimes, these adults will pretend to be teens themselves, but often they will be quite clear about their age and intent.

Contact with other inappropriate adults and businesses: Various segments of the sex industry (legal and otherwise) have a presence on social networking sites, often to recruit customers and workers. Minors should not have direct contact with such sex professionals and organizations, but it does happen. In some cases, teens could become victims of sex-trafficking or be persuaded to provide sexually explicit pictures or video for pay.

Source

The Social Networks to Help Spammers

British Internet users receive 20 billion messages per day from spammers, surpassed only by this parameter traditional leaders on the amount of spam - the United States and China, wrote The Daily Telegraph referring to a study by the company IronPort.

Thus, an average of one British accounting for 300 spamming letters a day or 98 per cent of the total mail traffic. This is twice as much than a year ago.

Total peace is distributed daily to 120 billion spamming letters. According to the document next year's social network will be the main source for spammers to data users. Over the past 13 months their personal data shared with the entire internet 60 million people.

Social Networks are Dangerous for the Future of Youth

Private information posted on Facebook, Bebo and other such social networks can spoil the future of millions of young people, warns the British Office of Information Commissioner (ICO) which is responsible for ensuring compliance with privacy.


"Many young people send materials online without concern that they were leaving their electronic footprints," said ICO Deputy Commissioner David Smith. "Retribution for that in the future may be too high if the administration of universities or employers using numerous social networks will be find an unsightly information of the person."

According to the Guardian Unlimited, according to the poll conducted ICO, 60% of young people aged 14 to 21 years do not realize that information posted them on the Web itself will remain for many years to come "attached" to their identity. However, 70% did not want their books read in the future potential employer.

Facebook Helps British Tax Police Officers in the Search of Tax-Dodgers

British Tax and Preventive Service (HMRC) has been actively using social networks, in the first place Facebook, to search for a fugitive tax-dodgers.

Customs officer said that the visit by Tax Police officers Facebook has already led to several arrests and replenish the coffers, reports The Inquirer. "Basically, this is a great stupidity on some people," said the officer. It goes without saying that a tax-dodgers of mind is not enough to tell the Web about themselves and their whereabouts, but there friends and relatives do that. The officer being aware of the possibilities of the Internet wished to remain anonymous.

Facebook. Social Networks Safety

Social networks such as Facebook now attract millions of users, owing to simple communication and simplicity find new friends. But is all personal information users closed? Heated debates on the subject starts when Facebook made the data available to users of search engines (such as Google and Yahoo!).

Growth of database users Facebook began with a Harvard University in 2004 and so far the number of accounts is 42 million. In theory, users data hidden from the outsiders. Options security systems can hide personal information or the whole account of the people with whom they are in one school or work in one team. This gives more protection to which private data than in many other social networks. But after the Facebook announced the opening of user data for search engines, you can confidently say that the project which was initially used to communicate students completely changed its original purpose and has become a huge online directory.

A study conducted a month ago (august 2007) in the British firm Sophos, specializing in IT security, revealed that many users are very imprudent to access its security and privacy of their personal data. Sophos has created a false account to Facebook and invited to friends 200 users, 41% of which are pleased to have agreed and gave us full access to their data. Some data were so detailed that you can easily determine the identity of the person and guess his passwords. Sophos said that despite the fact that Facebook users gave very flexible system for the protection of personal data, users are doing everything possible to not to use it.

Next cite several examples of how the vulnerability of personal information in social networks account played a joke on its felines owner. Former Inspector General of Police had to reopen the case woman whose purse was stolen in a London nightclub - thieves using her name, found her account on a social networking and took advantage of information is there to pay her credit card.

In July, Oxford University student Alex Hill said that the University was accused of promiscuity and violating all the rules of the academic institution. The reason for the charges became photos stored on his Facebook account. Student Society now advises all pupils to tighten access to their profiles on Facebook, but again many continue to grant access to its accounts to all those who have put themselves in the column University of Oxford.

Last month political resonance was caused by the fact that the 17-year-old daughter Republicans Rudy Giuliani joined the group in Facebook, which supports Democrat Barack Obama. All ended that she had to delete its account.