Web 2.0 - light and shadow

Web 2.0 is growing and flourishing in all forms. More and more new and even more innovative services and web-based applications are conquering the market and, of course, the user. They all encourage the user to be part of the gigantic network. So-called social networks are literally sprouting from the ground. However, this is also accompanied by a certain danger: data protection. Light and shadow are naturally very close together.

And security?

Recently, the social network known to students as "StudiVZ" made a name for itself. It has been criticized for alleged security gaps. This shows that even in times of the new web generation - i.e. Web 2.0 - a requirement from the past still plays a decisive role. In this specific case, we are talking about technical security vulnerabilities. In addition, however, it is becoming increasingly apparent how freely some users handle their private data. For example, telephone numbers and even entire addresses are posted on weblogs or other freely accessible platforms. It seems that privacy is no longer worth anything.

Personal recklessness

However, this careless approach offers enormous potential dangers. WirtschaftsWoche recently reported on this in an article. It is now common practice for more and more HR managers to make use of the gigantic store of knowledge on the Internet via Google & Co. This has already led to negative effects: In 34 percent of cases, candidates were kicked out of the selection process due to online searches. This was the result of a survey conducted by the Federal Association of German Management Consultants (BDU) for Wirtschaftswoche. But it is precisely this fact that warns responsible users to handle their personal data appropriately. Anything else could potentially have a negative impact on their professional and personal future.