Taking it too far?

I came across a very interesting article as I was browsing the net earlier on today. It was based on Criminals who now have thheir own Facebook profiles set up for them, and have people updating their pages on behalf of them. There has been a pledge to shut them down, and they most likely will be in a matter of time. What I found interesting is the reason why these profiles are being shut down, or are seen as potentially threatening.

"The last thing we want is for them to be communicating to the outside world and it will be very difficult to determine how one would manage that through legislation but I am certainly keen to find a way to try and close them down", Costa was reported as saying.

I find it extrememly scary that hard criminals are able to use social networking sites such as Facebook to make contact with the public. Even if they aren't the ones who are personally posting on to these pages, the fact that they have their names out there and that they have people posting on their behalf is quiet threatening to the safety of the general public. I personally feel like these criminals could be using their Facebook pages to communicate and plan attacks and brutal murders.

Ok, so it may seem like I'm being a little dramatic, but wouldn't you be thinking the same thing? Never before has it been so easy for a criminal to make contact with so many people at once. Facebook and Twiter have opened the doors to communicating with hundreds, sometimes even thousands of people at once. What seemed like something so innocent and fun and socialable now seems to be more than what meets the eye.

The article has got me thinking further about the threatening people who may take advantage of Facebooks services. Paedophiles, Thieves, Murderers, Rapists....they are not banned from the site. There is nothing, no miraculous filter that can stop them from creating a profile and gaining access to peoples profiles by befriending them. I can only imagine how many young teenagers have been lured into traps by Paedophiles posing as a younger person and wanting to meet up. Or the amount of Thieves who may see that your family is going to Sydney for the weekend and take that opportunity to break in to your home.
Looking at it from this perspective, I can see why social networking sites are no longer safe online places for people to socialize. They are potential hazards and people need to be cautious when befriending strangers on these sites. Because that stranger might seem like a nobody to you, but in reality, they could be the crazy person out to get you.