Social Studies for Information Communication Technology Essay Example

days after the website is created it should have its privacy policy. At the same time, the website owner is supposed to give notification to their customers of any changes made on the policy. It is amazing how many people ignore reading the privacy policy when signing up for a social network. They fail to understand how that specific social network collects and use the acquired information from the users of their site.

In ICT privacy have been of great concern due to frauds that are associated with social networks. Fraud appears where criminals utilize social networks to get to their target victims. They use several techniques such as;

Identity theft

Identity theft is the use of other peoples’ personal information while pretending to be them, thieves, who use this type of fraud target financial gains. Identity thieves take advantage of information posted by social network customers about themselves, and hence, they steal their identity. A study done by Carnegie Mellon University show that identity thieves can use prediction to know an individual’s nine-digit security code. This can be sourced from the information which is provided online. Most of the target areas are the; bank account details, numbers of the credit card, passwords, details on personal computers, social security digits as well as malware.

Prohibited third party applications

This is an application that seems to appear very similar to another third party applicant. The target is to gather information from the social networking site. The gathered information can be useful in committing an identity theft or even sell the information to a marketer.

False connection request

Criminals sign up on social networks with fake accounts, as members, they try to connect with

others members in the same connection. They make use of real people’s names and acquaintances, but all other entries are imaginary (Sardar, Z. 2015). Once they are members of a social network, they work their way out to view some of restricted as well as private user profile information. All this is conducted on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and other Google accounts.

In social networks, there can be a limitation that the user can only utilize a default privacy settings that are restricted. By doing this, it safe guards the user against the intrusion by “friends of friends”. This limitation only applies to account holders but not to the service providers. Such limitations restrict the usability as well as the value social media sites which at times reduce the positive effects brought about by the social media.

According to Bijker, W. E., & Law, there has been this default privacy setting of opt-in which is the opposite of opt-out. It is a social media approach that looks out for data exchange by users, or a subscription to a mail list, the result of it is appealing to the users. (Bijker, W. E., & Law, J. (1992).

Tacit information

Implicit information is the knowhow which is not easy to transfer from one individual to another either by writing or even verbally. According to Dr. David Jacobson, ICT is providing ways in which businesses tacit knowledge can be unlocked in their organizations. (Dr. David Jacobson, 2010). It is that information which is distributable in an organization which is available in businesses as well as social networks. Tacit information was difficult to access for outsiders. Tacit information is mostly transferred on

phone calls, one on one meetings or any other meetings. With ICT, one can take immediate action on the message being conveyed in the mind as the conversation continues. All that is enabled by social networking. According to Sardar, Z. He is in agreement with that social network greatly help in unveiling tacit knowledge (Sardar, Z. (2015).)

Businesses thrive mostly when their networking is good. The social media bring out the connecting strategies which enable members of the same company find one another and pass significant information. Incorporating social media tools such as the Facebook, Twitter or and another Google account depends on the companies structure of administration. Such reports enhance virtues within the work place that aid in the growth of the organization. More so, people who privately utilize social media experience growth in their communication skills.

Conclusion

In conclusion, social network security begins at a personal level and therefore it is of significance that the social media users be careful when signing up to new accounts, for instance, Facebook, as well as Twitter. Additionally, organizations benefit much from these social networking platforms whereby tacit information can be passed within the organization. Today with the tremendous technological improvements, it is very easy to access a social media platform even when using a mobile phone. According to Webster’s report, by the end of the year 2002, the number of people signing up for social media services were more than one billion. Facebook is having the largest number of users’ word wide and also half of the number of internet users in the world they are most probably using the social network applications. (Webster, F. 2002)

References

• Bijker, W. E.,
  

& Law, J. (1992). Do Technologies Have Trajectories? In Shaping technology/building society: Studies in sociotechnical change.