Reputation Management, Internet Privacy, and Social Media Quick Hits

In today’s Quick Hits, we discuss cyberbullying, Facebook and Google’s ongoing privacy problems, and the perils of social networking for college athletes.

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Larry Magid: “We need to marginalize bullies”

In a column for the San Jose Mercury News, Larry Magid wonders how we as a society can better show teens that cyberbullying is not only wrong, but that it has real and lasting consequences. One point Magid raises that is worth considering is how the example of adults sets the tone for teens. With civility in short supply among adults, it’s no surprise that teens feel there is nothing wrong with tormenting their peers. We all need to do a better job of treating each other with respect and dignity online and offline.

Is Phoebe Prince Case a “Watershed Moment” For Cyberbullying Prosecution?

So far, nine teens have been charged with crimes related to the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of South Hadley, Massachusetts. As the prosecution against them moves forward, some are wondering if this case won’t finally be the one that puts the problem of cyberbullying on the national radar and shows that cyberbullies will not be allowed to walk away from their actions.

This article from USA Today traces the arc of the Phoebe Prince case thus far, featuring interviews with numerous legal experts and behavioral experts, as well as the history of cyberbullying cases that have led prosecutors to this point.

Google Buzz Users Prompted to Reset Privacy

When Google Buzz first came out, the service faced major criticism over the way it automatically used frequent contacts to form a user’s Buzz contacts list. While Google made a number of privacy tweaks to solve this problem for new users, the people who had originally signed up for the service weren’t affected by the changes. Throughout today, however, as promised several weeks ago, Google will prompt Google Buzz users who missed out on the tweaks to manually select the individuals they wish to follow on Buzz.

Facebook Faces Criticism From German Official

A new day, a new privacy complaint about Facebook from a European official. According to this AP article, Germany’s Consumer protection minister, Ilse Aigner, sent a sharply worded notice to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him to promptly “to revise [Facebook's] privacy policy without delay.” While Facebook has grown tremendously over the last year, the company is facing problems dealing with different cultures’ differing expectations of privacy. In Europe, the concept of personal privacy holds more importance than it does in the United States.

University of Kentucky Basketball Player Hassled on Facebook

About a month ago, we wrote that one small mistake online could be enough to cost an NFL draft prospect millions of dollars in possible salary. This sentiment was echoed in a recent article by Chip Patterson at Bustersports.com, who discussed an interesting online incident featuring Kentucky basketball player Daniel Orton.

Orton, who is currently deciding whether he wants to return to Kentucky for his sophomore season or declare himself eligible for the NBA draft, recently received a rude Facebook message from a Kentucky fan saying Orton “needs another year” and that he hopes he will fail if does end up playing professionally next year. This wouldn’t be a big deal if Orton didn’t decide to share the private message publicly on his Twitter account. While the message was inappropriate, sharing it didn’t help the situation and represents the kind of trouble that college athletes can get into thanks to social networking.