Has your Grandma seen your Facebook page? Probably not. But could she? That depends on your privacy settings. Because if she can see it, then so can your RA, your instructors, and your future employers. You know who else is watching? Your younger siblings and classmates. Co-workers, bosses, and customers. Stalkers and raving lunatics? Check.

And now they all have your cell phone number, email address, and pictures of your friends. And yes, they've seen the video of that embarrassing prank you pulled at homecoming.

Recent news about online communities has taught us one key principle: the virtual world isn't so virtual anymore. Your actions online can affect your "real life" career opportunities, safety and security, academics, relationships, and legal standing. So spend a minute browsing through our Social Networking and Cyber Bullying pages for tips about how to protect your privacy when participating in online communities. If nothing else, Thanksgiving dinner with the family is going to be a lot more pleasant if Grandma remains unaware of last weekend’s antics.

Cyber Bullying

If you have ever been threatened, harassed, or humiliated by another person on the internet, you may have been a victim of cyber bullying. There are many forms of cyber bullying, including cyber harassment and cyber stalking, but they all share similar traits. The following tips should help you in the event that you ever become a victim of this behavior.

     • Ignore the bully. Cyber bullies get a sense of gratification from retaliation, making them        more prone to continue their harassing acts. Responding to their hateful remarks will        only increase the frequency of additional comments.
     • Keep all abusive messages. You don't have to read the content, but keep the materials        in case of further escalation in the future. You have done nothing wrong, and you might        be forced to prove that.
     • Be aware of their tactics. Often, cyber bullies will attempt to subtly insight an irritated        response from you. Stay strong and refrain from heated exchanges, even when you        are being baited.
     • Keep your information private. Make sure you have not posted any of your personal or        contact information (address, phone number, email address) on any sites where the        bully could see it.
     • Get help immediately. Report any abusive or inappropriate behavior to the site owners        as well as any other relevant authority figures. Contact OUPD or email        security@ou.edu.

Safety Tips

Facebook
     • Utilize your privacy settings. You can control who sees information on your profile        page, who can search for you, how people can contact you, etc. This is the most        important way for you to protect yourself on Facebook.
     • Create friend lists. Facebook has a feature that will help you group certain individuals        i.e. professors, coworkers, and friends into lists. You can then choose which portions of        your profile these groups can see. You wouldn't want a professor to see those pictures        of you from last weekend, would you? Exactly. Utilize this option for your safety as well        as your humility.
     • Change your "photos tagged of you" and “videos tagged of you” options so that only        certain people (or no one) can see them. Since you have no control over what pictures        your friends post of you, you can save yourself some potential embarrassment by        utilizing this option.

For more information regarding Facebook privacy, please visit Facebook privacy tips.

Myspace
     • Remember that Myspace is a public space. Don’t post any personal information such        as your email address, phone number, etc. that you wouldn’t want strangers to see.
     • Utilize your privacy settings. You can control who can see you are online, who knows        your birthday, who can view your profile, who can share your photos and how to block        specific users and users by age
     • Think before you post. Because Myspace is more of an open social networking site, it        is easy for people to see your information. If you might be embarrassed by        something at a later date, don’t post it.
     • Report abusive behavior. If someone is threatening or harassing you, let Myspace and        the appropriate authorities know.

For more information regarding Myspace privacy, please visit Myspace Help.

Twitter
     • Think before you post. Because Twitter uses search engines such as Google to gain        popularity, the potential exists for anyone to read your “tweets.”
     • Be stingy with your contact information or unsubscribe from certain communications.        Twitter may use your personal information to market their products and services to you

For more information regarding Twitter privacy, please visit Twitter privacy.