Social Networking and its Relation to Crime

There are reasons for certain things that we are discouraged to do and things that we also discourage our kids from doing. For instance, we tell them (and ourselves too) to never go places alone or to talk to strangers. In the real world, these rules are critical for our safety and peace of mind. In the world of cyberspace, it’s just as important and should be treated just as seriously.
For the World Wide Web population, the growth is happening at such a fast rate, that it becomes critical to gain a grasp on what sites and forums you participate on just to make sure you’re not somewhere that could be placing your safety at risk. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are very popular and have member numbers upwards into the millions.
With over 500 million users on a site like Facebook, safety becomes a very important issue for many adults and their children. In a survey that was recently conducted by Rasmussen Reports, it was reported that at least one out of every two Americans is a regular user of social networking sites. While these are certainly some very impressive statistical numbers for the social sites, authorities are quite concerned about how this will affect things like cyber crime, stalking and inappropriate connections that can lead to other issues.
The games and interacting with them on social sites is also a potential risk. Other features like contests, photo sharing and location services also pose a potential risk for some members. Divulging this information to certain groups or individuals is discouraged unless the user is certain of the way(s) that the information will be used.
To avoid potential risks, online cyber safety sites suggest against sharing personal information like Social Security or driver’s license numbers. Credit card numbers and even birth dates are also discouraged against sharing since the escalation of identity theft.