I have never been satisfied with my lack of technological
literacy. Sure, I am able to get by and
accomplish things I want to on my computer, phone, and limited social media
sites. But if I had to step outside that
comfort zone and really know what is going on behind the scenes, or set up my
accounts in the most secure fashion, I am in big trouble! We frequently hear about making sure our
Facebook accounts, online banking accounts, passwords, security settings, etc.
are as secure as possible. This is one
of the areas I really fall short in. I
need to get better educated before someone “educates” me the hard way—after they
have stolen my identity, my money, or hacked my email account. I liked the information concerning this on
the following website:
This website ironically is titled “Facecrooks” and gives
step by step directions on how to make your Facebook account more secure to
protect your privacy. It also teaches many
things I am unfamiliar with--for instance:
What type of email account to use, password protection tips,
notifications, use of code generators, privacy settings, selections on who can
send you friend requests, filtering levels, who can look me up, search engine
preferences, etc.
This website also gives advice on apps settings, followers, ads,
privacy shortcuts, as well as how and what to post, logging out correctly, and
using the Help Center. I decided to
apply some of this advice and make some much needed changes to my Facebook settings. Ignorance may be bliss—but only until someone
ruins it.
What are we allowed to publish, post or say on Facebook or
Blogs? The First Amendment to the
Constitution states:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
The website listed at the end of this blog, gives some in-depth explanations on
freedom of speech.
It talks about free speech being one of the most cherished
liberties, but that it can also conflict with other rights and liberties. The types of speech are broken down into
three different categories:
1-
Pure
Speech: The verbal expression of
thoughts and opinions before a voluntary audience. The courts have generally provided strong
protection of pure speech from government regulation.
2-
Speech-Plus:
This involves actions, such as demonstrations or protesting, as well as
words. Speech-plus is not generally
protected as strictly as is pure speech, because actions can be physically
dangerous. The courts have ruled that
demonstrators may not obstruct traffic, endanger public safety, or trespass
illegally.
3-
Symbolic Speech:
Technically this involves no speech at all, but it involves symbols that
the courts have judged to be forms of free expression. Symbolic actions such as wearing black
armbands in school and draft-card burning fit this category. Symbolic speech is highly controversial, and
as a rule, the courts have sometimes considered it to be beyond the limits of
free speech.
Now that I have a better understanding about free speech
from the first amendment, I feel fairly safe with sharing the basic and
non-confrontational blogs and posts I make from my (hopefully) more secure
Facebook page and Blog.
