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Are Employers Overstepping Their Boundaries?

College students question the lack of privacy when using networks such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com.

MySpace.com and Facebook.com are websites designed to allow users to network and link up with one another. Users create profiles that includes personal information such as their name, address, and telephone numbers. In order to register for the Facebook you must have a school e-mail address ending in edu.

Due to this requirement, non-college students assumed that such domains would be a safe haven for them and their peers exclusively. However, recent incidents prove otherwise.

According to yaledailynews.com, career services officials say that employment recruiters are using Facebook.com to learn more about their candidates. Many students’ profiles include quotes, nicknames, and pictures of personal activities that could disqualify them in the business world due to their inappropriate nature.

Students are outraged that employers would use Facebook profiles as valid sources of employment nomination.

“I don’t think it’s an accurate depiction of someone’s work ethic and drive, said Tiffany Cofield a junior majoring in Speech Communications at Howard University. “I don’t think it’s an accurate depiction of someone’s work ethic and drive. I feel like the Facebook is something of a social gathering spot for us, where we can be free to express ourselves with our classmates

In any event, students should be careful when using websites such as Facbook.com and MySpace.com because although they are tools used to keep in touch with friends, they are also the playgrounds of employers who may use private information to unfairly judge users.