In the rush to get imbedded into social media to improve your business’ marketing, you could be leaving yourself dangerously exposed.

Mashable’s article, “Chatroulette Founder Working to Preserve User Privacy,” recently detailed how this online phenomenon may be putting its users at risk. The site works to randomly connect two unknown people with audio and video chat. But a recent addition, blending the site with Google Maps and showing where each chatter is located, may have crossed a line. Without a way of opting out of the map, users clearly could be putting themselves at risk for stalking, identity theft or worse. Remember, this danger is not simply limited to Chatroulette.

The SSN Take: Do your research on privacy settings and don’t be in such a huge hurry to reap the benefits of social media that you get into unsafe situations.

Patrick Roland, March 29, 2010

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