More than ever, the Internet has made privacy nearly impossible to maintain. With spyware, tracking, and phising, it seems like the Internet gods know EVERYTHING we do online these days. As social networking sites like Facebook slowly take over the world, the word privacy no longer has meaning. However, choosing to post something onto your page is one thing. Being blackmailed or coerced into it is another.
It was only a week ago that the Facebook scandal involving 19 year-old Anthony Stancl blew up. The disturbing story involves a Wisconsin student using Facebook as a platform to blackmail his classmates into sex. Stancl is accused as posing as a girl on Facebook and tricking more than 30 male classmates into sending him naked photos of himself, then using the photos to blackmail them for sex. Stancl then reportedly threatened to post the photos or videos on the Internet if they didn't engage in some sort of sexual activity with him. About 300 photos of underage males were found on his computer.
Stancl was charged with five counts of child enticement, two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child, two counts of third-degree sexual assault, possession of child pornography, and repeated sexual assault of the same child. The charges against Stancl leave him facing up to 300 years in prison, according to a FOX report. This is the latest in a string of concerning reports on teens committing criminal offenses involving exchanges of nude photos on the internet or via cell phone. These latest charges emphasize such dangers, and appear to point to an increasing need for parents to take an active role in addressing the issue.
Of course, like most major websites, Facebook has a link to their extensive privacy policy. As their policy states "[We] take steps to ensure that others use information that you share on Facebook in a manner consistent with your privacy settings, but we cannot guarantee that they will follow our rule." In addition, the policy suggests that minors ask their parents for permission before sending information about themselves to anyone over the internet, and encourages parents to teach their children about safe internet practices. The link explains everything from what they do with your information, how they share it, who can view it, and how to protect it. However, even with this lengthy policy, Facebook can only control so much. The case of Stancl demonstrates just how easy it is to misuse the site.
As discussed in class, privacy issues on the Internet are becoming an extremely blurry topic. It is often hard to tell what is an invasion, and what isn’t. In the case of Stancl, however, there is no denying that his actions were a complete and disgusting attack on his classmate’s privacy. With characters like Stancl lurking on social networking sites, we must remember to proceed with caution. Nothing that we post on the Internet is private, and many characters are not who they claim to be. In addition, there is never a reason to send ANY naked photos to anyone, for any reason. The bottom line is that the Internet is an open forum for anyone to do anything with any information they find or create. Flaming and blackmailing on social sites has become an Internet epidemic. Privacy boundaries are often crossed, and the Internet has turned into a game of “every man for themselves.” Gear up, team.
