You be the Judge, as Newsweek.com reports...
This week Facebook will register its 500 millionth member. It's amilestone both significant and meaningless: yes, it's a reminder of just
how big the social-media giant has become, but really—did we need
reminding? That Facebook is a part of many Americans' daily lives is
clear. But how it's affecting those lives is still being examined. We
know that Facebook can be good for your health, and that it can make
everything from networking to sharing photos easier. But there's also a
potentially sinister side, even aside from dubious privacy issues. Below,
10 ways that Facebook can do more harm than good. 1. You'll be reunited with your biological parents. This can be good news,
but it's not always. Take Prince Sagala, who found her biological children
on Facebook—children she alleges were kidnapped more than a decade ago by
her ex-husband. The mom and kids are now reunited. The only problem: the
kids grew up with their dad and don't want anything to do with the parent
who now has custody. And in an even more horrifying story, Aimee Sword was
sentenced to nine to 30 years in prison recently for sexually abusing her
15-year-old biological son, whom she tracked down on Facebook. 2. Your creditors can track you down. Creditors use Facebook as a way to
both track the movements of debtors and keep their eyes on any potential
assets that could be seized to cover those debts. At first, lenders may
use Facebook to determine whether you're a worthy candidate for a loan.
But should you come to owe a creditor money, the company can track you
down and discover your assets by monitoring your Facebook feed. 3. Your insurers can deny your claims. Remember the woman who was
receiving workers' compensation for depression, only to be "outed" by
Facebook pictures of her smiling? Her insurance benefits were cut off,
with insurers saying that her photos showed she was ready to return to
work. That's left attorneys who argue for disability benefits concerned.
Many now advise against giving away too much on Facebook. 4. Your ex can use it against you in a divorce. Facebook is a popular tool
for divorce attorneys, who comb pages of their clients' spouses for
evidence of neglect, infidelity, or deception. (One study suggests that
Facebook comes up in one out of five new divorce petitions). Mashable says
a woman lost custody of her children after her ex proved she was spending
time tending her crops on Farmville instead of spending quality time with
her kids, while divorce lawyers have given multiple interviews extolling
the site's virtues as a way to air damaging dirty laundry. 5. It could make you depressed. Researchers from Stony Brook University in
New York found that teenage girls who spend the most time discussing their
lives with friends were more likely to be depressed. Apparently, spending
too much time dwelling on gossip and your problems can make you feel
worse, not better. The researchers didn't study Facebook in particular,
but they indicated that social-networking sites such as Facebook made it
easier for people to be in constant contact with friends and perpetuate
the unhealthy discussions. 6. It can cost you a job. A British survey of employers found that half of
those polled had turned down job candidates once something unsavory about
that candidate surfaced on Facebook. (Examples include tales of
drunkenness, photos of illegal activity, and bad grammar.) In the U.S., 20
percent of employers admit to scoping out the Facebook pages of potential
job candidates, while 9 percent say they're going to start soon. 7. It can out you to your family. Even if you're discreet on Facebook,
your loose-lipped friends might not be and could post comments on your
wall that betray your secrets. But there are also more insidious outings
going on: MIT students designed an algorithm that successfully pinpointed
gay users by analyzing how many of their friends were gay. 8. It can make it easier for your stalker or abusive partner to follow
your movements. Let's be honest: if there weren't Facebook, abusers would
find another trigger to set off their rage. But Facebook has made it
easier for these people to keep tabs on their victims and respond to their
movements, even after the victim has tried to sever ties. In one
particularly sad case, a woman who changed her Facebook status to "single"
was killed by her husband, from whom she had separated. After seeing her
status, he broke into her home and stabbed her repeatedly. 9. You can be sued for libel. There are already several cases of libel
suits over content posted on Facebook. In Britain, where libel is easier
to prove than in the U.S., a businessman won £22,000 when a former
classmate created a fake profile full of defamatory information.
Stateside, an Ohio-area band sued a Facebook "hate group," and a Michigan
towing company sued a student who created a Facebook page alleging that
the company tows legally parked cars. (The company says those claims are
false.) So far, the law appears to be on the poster's side. But it's still
a hassle. 10. Your kids could be targeted by predators. After a teenage girl in
England was murdered by a sex offender who posed as a teenager on
Facebook, the British version of the site added a "panic button" that
allows teens to report any unwanted attention—including
cyber-bullying—directly to the authorities. But the button is not yet on
U.S. or other international versions of Facebook, and it's unclear whether
the company plans to add it. Food for thought.
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