Social Networks: Privacy Granted and the Negative Effects for the Individual and Society

Naif A. N. Alsharabi, Redhwan Qasem Ghaleb

Abstract: Undoubtly, social networking has brought a quantum leap in the field of communication over the world. It has overcome many difficulties in the process of communication among the various individuals at the local, regional and global level. Its advantages and virtues are countless. Yet, these advantages may vanish when subscribers privacies affect negatively the individuals, groups or companies. Granting these privacies to subscribers to withhold some information like list of friends, sites visited, and comments and so on leads to major disasters and causes great pain to families and communities. It has brought about a great loss and exploitation of families teens by extremist ideas that lead to terror acts. The privacy bestowed by social networking to the subscribers to conceal some information has violated intentionally or unintentionally the rights of family and society in parental control. To avoid these risks and to reduce them, privacies must be limited and made public.

Keywords: social media, disastrous effects, social privacy, social risks