Are social networking sites costing us our privacy?

[kittycat]

With facebook, MSN Spaces, Myspace, Twitter, Bebo, Classmates and other such networking sites growing and becoming more and more popular, is the internet becoming too intrusive?
There has been a new trend of "creeping" where people look at your profiles for updates, and can find things you'd posted long ago and may have even forgotten about now. It has even gotten to the point where people have lost jobs over photo's of them drinking and such on the internet.
An example would be the trouble that Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) got into for making a silly face that was interpreted as racist and degrading, in a photograph which was later posted online.
With PerezHilton.Com we are given access to celebrities lives, and criticisms of them.
I'm just curious, how do you feel knowing that a frenemie or an ex could be creeping you? Do you do anything to prevent it?
Yes of course I realize that by posting something you are putting it out there for the world to see.
But what if there is happy news I want to share with my friends, such as an engagment, or an invite to a party, that I am not posting for the "creepers" of the world to see?
I am not asking because I have any particular issues with these sites, or the content of them, my question is simply to ask your opinion on the growing trend of "creeping"

[SC@VENGER]

Yes, it has a cost.

It's a kind of trade, though. You trade in your privacy in exchange for being able to say everything you want and being able to follow your friends closely.

[styrckt]

stay away from these sites and just start your own blog.
that way YOU control the content and privacy

I would never start a myspace or facebook page and never will ...It's not a requirement in life

you can still follow your friends on facebook/myspace

[greg h]

They have blockers in place to only your friends can see the details.

[Joakim M]

If you want to let your friends know about these things, let them know through phone calls, in person, txting, msn chatting, or make your profile private. there are plenty of ways of letting them know things over the internet without letting any1 else know.
They are not costing any more privacy than you allow them to

[Daily.Bullsh]

If there is not an option to make the profile or parts of the profile private i do not participate in the site. I personally use myspace, and in order to gain access to my profile info or pics, they have to become my friend. in order to do that they have to know my e-mail address. and to know my e-mail address they have to have known me and chatted with me, or known me in real life. all i am saying is people can be more careful

Everyone do me a favor. go to http://www.google.com
type in any screen name you have ever used (one at a time) and see the results. find out what anyone can find out about you.

Type in your first and last name, and the state you live in and see what that brings you as well.

there is a tool out there also that when an e-mail address is entered, it will show who the owner of the e-mail address is (first and last name as well as location, if the info was entered on registration)

[kaire]

No, I don't think social networking sites are costing us our privacy. I think it's just an easier way for people to keep in touch. We're the ones who decide what to put up on our own profiles -- depending on how "private" a person you are, you can either put up every little detail about your life, or you can put up nothing.

It's unfortunate Miley's picture was misinterpreted, but at the same time, she lives in a different world than the rest of us. Celebrities themselves lose their privacy once they reach a particular famous status, but I don't think this has to do with social networking sites.

As for "creepers," that's really a risk you take. Decide who you want to be your friend on these social networking sites, then you won't have to worry about creepers. I'm sure if you only kept "real" friends on your site, you'd know they weren't "creepers" so you wouldn't have to worry about that. I know realistically we all have friends we don't really talk to in real life, but that's also the beauty of Facebook -- just put those people on limited profile and who cares if they try to stalk you since they just have limited access to your profile anyway.

Overall, it's all about how much information you decide to share on these sites and who you let have access to your profile. I don't think it's the social networking sites themselves.

[Missy M]

YES it IS costing us our privacy. Those sites are FUN, but be prepared to be PUBLIC. On FB, for example, EVERY friend can see ALL your friends. Then, FB will troll your friend list and send all your friends a "You may know this person" and THAT is a breach of confidentiality. I wish it did not show friends lists to others.