Monday, January 17, 2011
Is the internet a stalking tool?
Courtwatch is an important and wonderful program which monitors court cases to ensure victims are treated properly, particularly where interpersonal cases such as domestic violence and sexual assault are concerned. They posted an update on Facebook that read "try Googling track girlfriend and see how many sites tell how to stalk." So I did. And it's disturbing, to say the least. We will explore some of these issues this semester, but how can we counter such behaviors? Should we let such potential behaviors deter us from sharing things online? The internet takes stalking to another level. Think about how easily folks can track court records, contact information, employer information, etc. Think about the "check in" feature on Facebook. Thoughts?
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Wow. I had no idea that it was legal to track someone using their cell phone! I just googled "track girlfriend" and found a news article where a guy got permission to track his girlfriend, "in the name of science," and was able to program her phone using an online website that updated him with her exact location and even displayed her whereabouts on a map.
ReplyDeleteWhen I use twitter I'm sometimes wary of sharing information. There is an option where you can include a map in your post, and some people use automatic updates that will say where/what you're doing. I think this is dangerous for females because we aren't always aware of the attention we're getting (ie: stalkers). I would advise anyone thats had a jealous or controlling boyfriend/husband in their lives to avoid social networking sites at all costs. Its just not worth jeopardizing safety.
I agree with you Katherine, when it comes to posting anything about my current location, I'm always wary. The internet is such a powerful tool, and I think with the increase in technology with gps, and tracking, that we should be real careful of what we do and say on the internet. People are getting fired from jobs left and right because of things that are found on the internet. For many employers, the search feature on Facebook has become their best friend, and sometimes, all it takes is one incriminating picture to cost you your job. And I just saw a newsreport about law enforcement using Facebook as a way to have evidence against suspects. The way I handle things online when it comes to giving out info in a profile, I just don't take it too seriously and I don't put any info up that will let people know too much about you. It's one thing for someone to spark up a convo with you in person to find out about you, but it's another thing when people are out there using these profiles as ways to stalk and keep up with other people's lives.
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