Conference Proceedings

Abstract

This paper deals with Social Networking Sites and the threats pertaining to the privacy of the users in it. Though these networks offer attractive means for interaction and communication, it also raise privacy and security concerns. So it becomes important for the users to be cautious about their identity. With time as the security features are improving, equally the numbers of threats are also increasing. Hence in the end it entirely becomes the responsibility of the user to secure the information. Through research we find that an individual‟s privacy concerns are only a weak predictor of his membership to the network. Also privacy concerned individuals join the network and reveal great amounts of personal information. Some manage their privacy concerns by trusting their ability to control the information they provide and the external access to it. However, we find significant misconceptions among some members about the online community‟s reach and the visibility of their profiles. The conclusion of the paper suggests measures of safety and also an idea that can be used in near future as an means to restrict the threats.