Today, more people can contact each other than ever before thanks to social networking sites. The world has become much smaller due to sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and many others. There are certainly many benefits to using these resourceful social networks, such as keeping up with friends and family, sharing photos, and staying up to date on current events. However, there is a growing concern about privacy, or lack thereof, due to these sites. The ability to determine your privacy settings is sometimes confusing and other times simply misleading. People you don't know at all can see what you write and look at the pictures you share. Furthermore, there are children at risk due to the spread of social networks and the constant threat of sexual predators. There are constant updates and rewrites regarding the protection of privacy, in particular by Facebook. Even more alarming is the possibility of the government looking through your social media profile, photos and personal page. In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security published a Media Monitoring Initiative in which it reported that it had granted itself permission to “collect, store, analyze and disseminate” data on millions of social media users (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) and websites. business networking. (LinkedIn) (Wolverton II, 2012, p. 21). Going forward, it would appear that to use these sites, and others, you still need to sacrifice some of your privacy. Are these challenges simply part of the larger social networking equation, or is there a way to fix the problem? The protests over the attack on privacy come from various sources. First, there are those who are concerned about the government… that in the middle of paper… people can do nothing other than monitor what they allow to be put online. Yet there is hope for those who are adamantly against the online spying program. In (future elections), an educated electorate can select candidates running for Congress who will pass a law that will permanently revoke the Department of Homeland Security's power to carry out the mission outlined in the Media Monitoring Initiative (Wolverton II, 2012, p. 24). ). Finally, all Americans should understand that their privacy is at risk every time they enter information on a computer or smartphone, and will be that way for the foreseeable future. Works CitedJakes, L. a. (2013, June 9). US intelligence chief defends online spying. The Canadian Press, pp. 3-5. Shulevitz, J. (2013). The Great Mother is watching you. New Republic, pp. 12-13.Wolverton II, J. (2012). Social espionage. New American, pp. 21-24.