Social Media & Individual Liberty

Nothing is private on social media, not even when you try to ensure that it remains private by using closed groups or anything. Surprises on social media could be pleasant at times, and sometimes they may be definitely unwelcome. Like yesterday, someone tagged me to photo on Facebook without any knowledge of mine. When I checked my mail (that is my username for my FB account), I saw some 15 comments on that photo. The comments were not that good, worse some thought that I had posted that photo. However the good thing was that I could immediately clear the air by posting a comment and ensured that I could be untagged from the photo. Despite this the experience was not all that sweet. My right to express should not be hijacked by someone else who tags me to something that I neither know nor do I subscribe to.


Social media is a unique many to many communication tool that ensures messages, comments, news, events etc. becoming viral on the web in matter of minutes or hours. The impact is huge. The power of social media is unmatched and profound. It has given people like Justin Bieber superstardom status.

Having said this, from a user point of view one needs to be a little careful about one’s social media activity. Whatever one shares on social media could reach many intended and also to many more unintended in very less time. I am all for the free nature of social media. But I think both individuals and companies need to be careful of their social media activity that it does not breach any other individual’s liberty. No one has the right to trespass on the liberty of others, as much as they have right to protect their own.

Take for instance, late last year a British body that helps improve relationships with workers warned employers that they could end up being sued if they use sites like Facebook to spy on the private lives of their employees. The body found that some companies were using social media and web to glean personal information like religious belief of their employees and using it against them. While social media offers employers an opportunity to pre-qualify their candidates before hiring using social media and web information, technically called backchannel referencing; some companies seem to be trying to get hold of the personal information of their employees.

Spy-their-Man

Back-channel referencing or pre-qualifying candidates using social media and internet has been accepted by many organizations as a smart way of doing background checks. They elimintae the potentially unfit candidates even efore they are involved in the selection process, hence saving considerable time and cost.

But it seems some organizations have overdone it and started using social media sites like facebook to pry or spy on their employees.

A recent economic times news states that 'A UK body has warned employers that they could end up being sued for discrimination if they use websites like Facebook to spy on the private lives of their workers. Acas, the body that helps improve relationships with workers, issued a new guide that urges employers not to be "heavy-handed" by penalising staff for unprofessional comments on websites. It has also warned employers about the risks of "Googling" potential recruits and using any personal information gleaned from the Internet such as a person's religious beliefs.'

There is a thin line between background checks and spying on the lives of employees. Individual right to protect his/her privacy is his/her choice that must never be dictated or flouted. Organization must be smart enough not to do the same. Infringing on a person privacy will progressively disengage him/her.