The Consequences Of Shoulder Surfing

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Instagram are some of the popular social media that allows individuals to express their thoughts, opinions, or emotions on the internet. Most social media users are posting comments or images on their accounts letting them be connected to their acquaintances, friends, or followers. In some cases, it also allows prospective employers, colleges, or universities to screen their applicants via shoulder surfing. The essays “Twitter, Social Media, Reputation Management” and “The Implications of Shoulder Surfing” by Cynthia Andrzejczyk explore the ramification of an unintended self-incriminated posts and the controversy of shoulder surfing. Some institution believes that they have valid reasons to use shoulder surfing;

The First and Fourth Amendments of the US Constitution gave its citizen the protections to exercise freedom of speech and to privacy, respectively. Even though employer, colleges, and universities have valid reasons, shoulder surfing absolutely violates these rights. Opposition of shoulder surfing claims it as “unlawful form of eavesdropping” (Andrzejczyk 383). As Andrzejczyk states, it is not uncommon for people to post grievances on their social account (385). If people knew that their employers, colleges, or universities are monitoring their social media activities, not only it takes away their privacy, it could hinder their rights to express their feelings. Whether it may result to positive or negative outcome, as people may prevent people from committing poor choices, it is not relevant. Shoulder surfing is an absolute infringement of people’s civil rights (Andrzejczyk 385). However, as applicants was forced to give up their password account to gain jobs, education, and scholarship, they may be forced to waive the to freedom of speech and to

Prospective employers, colleges, and universities have valid justification for shoulder surfing; however, it does not take away the fact that it violates the right of a person to free speech and to privacy. Because no federal law and only the state of Illinois have protection for social media users and applicants against shoulder surfing, they must rely on themselves to protect their future through reputation management. People should be aware that the right to express our thoughts, opinions, and emotions—either on face-to-face interaction, letter, or internet—have an accompanied risk and responsibilities. People might vent angry feeling on their social account, but they have to realize that they are putting their reputation at risk and its their responsible to protect themselves from its potential