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It has been suggested that this article be merged into Cyberstalking. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2011.

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This article is written like a manual or guide. Please help rewrite this article and remove advice or instruction. (December 2010)

Facebook stalking is a method of gathering information about someone through the acquisition of data posted on an individual’s Facebook profile. Facebook allows users to customize their profile and supply information such as their tastes in music, television and literature. Personal profile pages are also used by individuals to post status updates, where they may supply information on what they are currently doing or reflect upon a recent event. Consequently, profile pages are an attractive way of gathering information on someone that you may not know or in some cases, keep up to date on the life of an individual you are formally acquainted with.

The term is colloquial: while legitimate stalkers may use social networks to stalk their victims, Facebook "stalking" is often a case of hyperbole.

Background

The Internet's ability to let individuals perform anonymous activities inevitably makes it an instrument of misbehavior for those who wish to use it as such. Cyberstalking has been around for years, but it wasn’t until recently that Facebook stalking has become an issue. The phenomenon began in 2004 when Facebook took center stage on the Internet. It almost immediately became the home for cyberstalkers. As Facebook users began to surf the site and realize how much knowledge they could obtain by looking at an individual’s profile. A typical Facebook profile has the potential to display interests, education, work background, and contact information. Someone could find out a lot of information about somebody just by looking at their Facebook page.

The creators of Facebook have installed many privacy settings to limit what users on Facebook can see. However, this functionality doesn’t stop all cyberstalkers. Considering there are currently millions of Facebook users, there is always the possibility of having an unwanted visitor on one's profile.

Purpose

Users Facebook stalk their acquaintances in order to find more information about them. As Corrie Pikul wrote, people Facebook stalk because “It makes feel like Nancy Drew”. For example, a girl wishing to date a certain guy may search his Facebook Wall to learn whether he's in a relationship or not, to see how many girls he talks to each day, and determine whether he's her "type" or not.

Methods

Users on social networks post information onto these websites, all of which can be put to use by Facebook stalkers.

Such information includes:

• full name;
• phone number(s);
• personal website(s);
• e-mail address(es);
• photos;
• videos;
• home address;
• date of birth;
• places of work;
• place of residence;
• family members, friends, and acquaintances;
• hometown;
• status updates and any personal information contained within; and
• current locations (via Facebook places);
• personal interests (hobbies, movies, music);
• languages

Prevention

There are many measures that Facebook users can take to eliminate the possibility of becoming Facebook stalked. Users could change their privacy settings so that only their friends can see their information and photos, and further adjust within those setting so that only certain friends have access to their information. Users can also make themselves unsearchable on the Facebook database. Furthermore, users can simply refrain from posting sensitive information on the internet, as this completely eliminates the possibility that it will fall into unintended hands.

References

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

1. D’Ovidio, Robert, and James Doyle. “A Study on Cyberstalking Understanding Investigative Hurdles.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 72.3 (2003): 10-17. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
2. Facebook.com
3. Facebook.com
4. Elle.com
5. Facebook.com

• Articles to be merged from January 2011
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• Internet privacy