As a user of Facebook (not to mention a longtime net citizen) I am well aware of the slimy feeling one gets when their image is bared for all to see. The owned application comes to mind first – strangers ‘bidding’ for your uploaded photos on Facebook, with the owner of the ‘purchased’ photograph receiving an obnoxious “you’ve been bought by X” email. I haven’t posted any compromising photos of myself (that would be silly) but the thought of my image being a component of someone’s “collection” is creepy to me.
Enter sites like YoBusted; members post photos and tag for the public to see – if you are the subject of a particularly hilarious (read: embarrassing) photo, you can remove it by signing up to a $20/month membership. Although some have suggested that YoBusted’s business model is nothing more than simple extortion, proving that claim in a court would be difficult – and what’s to stop a copycat site from doing the same thing (they probably already are).
The solution: guard your personal data. Don’t fill your Facebook profile with personal photos – if you do post pictures, make sure to adjust your privacy settings so strangers are unable to view your profile.
Don’t post drunken photos of yourself on the Internet! It may be funny in the context of your friends but any content you post to the Internet is indexed, cached and eventually findable. Future employers (maybe future voters and journalists will search your information online; when they do, what do you want them to see?
