Five years and 190,000 students from schools spanning 22 Ontario schools boards and independent schools. This is the incredible journey I’m honoured to live every day as I deliver a student, parent and administrator-focused self-titled workshop, “Facebook 101.” I like Facebook – a lot. I use it every day for a variety of purposes that embrace both personal socializing and professional business use.
With that said, the most common remark I hear from people is how, in some fashion, Facebook was responsible for a breach of their privacy or information (comments, wall posts, photos, etc) and how that breach caused reputation damage, a job loss, scholarship retraction – or more. While I am empathetic to these situations and understand fully the sense of violation that a loss of privacy has in one’s life, it isn’t Facebook’s fault. Really. In fact, here is an excerpt from one of Facebook’s Terms of Use: “WE TRY TO KEEP FACEBOOK UP, BUG-FREE, AND SAFE, BUT YOU USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT FACEBOOK WILL BE SAFE OR SECURE.” That pretty much sums it up – and it’s what allows Facebook to step back when users come after them for tech glitches and ongoing policy changes that affect their lives in less than positive ways.
