We’ve all seen Catfish.
The Internet is a scary place. Since we first dialled up and logged on to MySpace, circa 2006, we’ve been uploading and sharing information about ourselves. Some of that information is useful and entertaining. Some of it is cringey and terrifying. And some of it is downright stupid and reveals far too much information.
The level of information that we’ve shared online over the past decade can be used to breach our personal accounts, it can impede a potential job offer and worse still, it could compromise safety.
Thankfully, tech giants Facebook are about to do something about it.
A new profile change will see an inclusion of old personal information appearing on users profiles.
This tweak will see past education history and employment history appearing in the Intro section of your page.
According to The Huffington Post, Facebook has said the change is to educate people on the level of information they offer.
“This is a change we made in the past week to make it easier to understand which of your work and education (school, college) fields are public,” a spokeswoman said.
“None of these fields have [had] their privacy settings changed; we’re now simply showing the already-public fields in Intro.”
“If you’ve already curated what you want to appear there, this change shouldn’t affect you,” she added.
so basically, if you’re already cautious, it shouldn’t affect you too much. The likelihood, however, is that it might surprise you how much information is available online.
In 2011 many Facebook users became eerily aware of the amount of information they shared online by connecting with the interactive horror app “Take This Lollipop.”
The Facebook app, written and directed by Jason Zada, uses the Facebook Connect application to bring viewers themselves into the film, through the use of pictures and messages from their own Facebook profiles. Starring actor Bill Oberst Jr. as ‘The Facebook Stalker’, the film acts to personalize and underscore the dangers inherent in posting too much personal information about oneself on the internet.
Check it out HERE.
