The following describes the Social Media Disclosure for our website.
The Social Media Dilemma
Nowadays privacy rights are defended, but at the same time there is an never seen before voluntary willingness of people to share their private life details with the world, including in places such as our website. While apparently inoffensive on the surface, the dangers of uncontrolled public disclosure of sensitive information is a growing issue.
Big social media companies are getting sued for using or abusing people’s personal information without their permission, and they might get in trouble for not doing enough to keep people safe. Some lawsuits even claim that certain posts or comments caused someone’s death or suicide. And bloggers who thought they could say whatever they wanted because of “free speech” are finding out they can get sued for saying things that hurt people’s reputations or are just plain lies.
Social media keeps changing and it’s getting easier to share stuff with more people. But that also means it’s easier to accidentally say too much or share something you shouldn’t. So it’s important to be careful about what you post and how you use social media, even on our website. If you’re smart about it, you can still have fun online without getting into trouble.
Presence/Scope of Social Media
Just so you know, we use social media on our website. So, if you click “like” or “share” on something, people can see that and it adds up to a bigger picture of who you are online. Also, when you share something with someone, you never know who else might see it. So just remember that what you do here on our website could affect a lot of people, whether you mean it to or not.
When you make comments on a blog or website, it’s very easy to say something you don’t really mean or to be misunderstood. And if you use the same login info for a bunch of different sites, it’s like you’re leaving a trail of breadcrumbs that could lead anyone right to you. So just keep in mind that even something as simple as a blog post comment can end up being seen by lots of people, and that your online behavior could be tracked more easily than you think. We might have some of these features on our website, so it’s good to be aware of them.
These few examples above show you how social media can work. There are lots of other ways too, and new technologies keep coming up all the time. Social media is everywhere, even on this website! It’s important to use it in a responsible way.
Protecting Others
Remember that when you share things on social media, it’s not just between you and your friends. Sometimes you might share things that affect other people too. You might even share things about other people without thinking. What seems funny now might not be funny later, and saying something mean in public can have bad consequences for a long time.
When you use social media on our website, it’s best to talk mostly about yourself and not other people. If you’re not sure what to say, it’s better to say nothing at all. It’s unlikely that what you want to say is so important that it’s worth hurting someone else. So, it’s important to think about how your words might affect others before you post them.
Protecting Yourself
Before you share something private about yourself on our website, think about what might happen in the future. The things you like or don’t like can change over time. What you say today might not be true in the future. But once you say something on social media, it’s there forever. Even something as simple as what you had for breakfast might not matter now, but it could be a problem later if you share something else that could affect your future job or other opportunities.
Just like you should be careful about sharing things about other people, you should also be careful about sharing things about yourself. If you’re not sure what to do, it’s probably better not to share it. The good things that might happen now could be bad later. And remember, once you share something on social media, it’s there forever. We can’t always remove it even if you ask us to.
Restrictions on Use of Social Media Data
You’re not allowed to look for information about other people on our website’s social media or other platforms. Even if someone has shared something publicly, you can’t use that information for yourself. You can only use social media on our website while you’re visiting it. You can’t capture or copy information to use later.
Accuracy of Social Media Data
Social media is made up of things people share. So, you should remember that not everything you read is true. We can’t check if everything is correct. It’s a good idea to think of social media as just what people think, not what’s true.
Potential Issues of Liability
Remember that what you say could hurt other people. Even though you can say what you want, you can’t hurt others. This is called tort law. If you were supposed to do something but didn’t (i.e. – some “duty of care”), or if you said something bad about someone (i.e. – slander, defamation, etc.), you are responsible.
So, basically, if you’re doing something shady or leaving important stuff out, it doesn’t matter if you’re using a company to do it – it’s still wrong and can cause you problems. It’s not like anyone plans to do illegal or unethical stuff as part of their business strategy, right? So, if you’re in a sticky situation and not sure what to do, it’s best to talk to a lawyer who can help you figure out what could happen and how to deal with it.
CHANGE NOTICE: Hey, just so you know, this page might change from time to time. It’s not that we’re trying to keep you on your toes, it’s just that we need to make sure everything is up-to-date and safe for you and our website. So, if this page is really important to you, it’s a good idea to check back every now and then to make sure you’re up-to-speed. We won’t be sending any other notices about changes, so keep that in mind!
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/CONCERNS: Hey, if you’ve got any questions about what’s on this page, or just wanna say hi or get in touch for any other reason, please contact us and we’ll get back to you.
