Social Networking Sites and Cyber Crime

The introduction of the internet has revolutionized social networking by creating a multidimensional social system which allows people from all over the world to connect and communicate with each other. The development of Web 2.0, also known as the “social web,” has shifted the perception of the internet as an information source into a “participation platform” where dynamic collaboration exists in a form of many-to-many communication. It may seem that social networking websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, have revolutionized communication between people, but as advancements in these social networking websites continue there is a corresponding trend of increases in cyber crime. Cyber crime is any criminal activity in which involves the use of a computer, communication technology or the Internet. The increasing popularity of social networking websites, such as Facebook and Myspace, has created a gateway for hackers to use personal information put up by online users to commit various cyber crimes. The most common forms of cybercrimes linked to social networking websites are identity theft, password security and invasion of privacy.