We�ve all seen or heard the stories: they amuse, scare, shock and intrigue us, and they are becoming more common every day. From horrifying incidents of brutal student bullying captured secretively through the eye of a camera phone, to personal thoughts and photos posted on social websites and blogs, more and more, everyday people�s actions are being caught on the web.

Rarely do the subjects of such surreptitious surveillance realize that their private moments can spread across cyberspace like wildfire � satisfying the voyeuristic appetites of a culture consistently seeking the shock factor. These incriminating or embarrassing videos and photos are instantly out there for all of the world to see.

So, do you ever stop to think about the fact that it could be you caught on the web? When you step out into the public, how much privacy do you really have? Are you unwittingingly posting photos and information on the Internet that could come back to haunt you?

Know Your Rights

In a society filled with every kind of technological innovation imaginable, you can be filmed by hidden cameras or mobile camera phones at any time, anywhere. This increased use of the Internet by video voyeurs to display images captured surreptitiously can rob victims of their privacy and dignity, making it more important than ever to take precautions and have increased awareness.

That�s why it�s important to know your rights. In 2004, Congress passed the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act prohibiting photographing or videotaping an unclothed person without his or her consent in any place where there can be a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a gym, locker room, public restroom, tanning bed, or dressing room. Punishment includes fines of up to $100,000 or up to a year in prison, or both. For more information on your privacy rights, visit www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3411121.

When it comes to popular social-media websites like Facebook, it gets harder and harder to ensure privacy. Users become lackadaisical about settings, and often believe their privacy settings provide more security than they do. This is because Facebook�s privacy policies and settings change often. It�s crucial that users always be aware of these changes. Be sure and visit lifehacker.com/5813990/the-always-up-to-date-guide-to-managing-your-facebook-privacy. Here, you�ll find updates on security and privacy on Facebook, along with easy-to-understand explanations on how to manage your Facebook privacy settings.

Smile For The Phone

For those who enjoy capturing images spontaneously, the cellphone�s built-in camera feature seems heaven-sent. You don�t ever have to worry about carrying your camera again, because all you have to do is pull out your phone and get the shot in a flash. You can also post your photos instantly onto a variety of social-media websites directly from your phone.

But cellphone cameras can also mean violated privacy when used inappropriately or even illegally. The proliferation of miniature cellular phones that can record pictures silently has facilitated illicit photography in public places such as grocery stores, sidewalks and restaurants.

Candid shots can be emailed to friends or sent to sites that have automated �moblogging� (mobile blogging) such as Buzznet.com, Fotolog.net, Web Shots.com, and Textamerica.com, and then viewed worldwide in seconds. That means private moments can instantly become fodder for public consumption.

Images and even voice comments (from a cellphone�s digital-recording feature) can also be taken out of context, and not used or interpreted in the manner or by the type of audience intended. In minutes, a scandalous photo or sound bite can be linked to a plethora of web pages, weaving a very tangled web.

A personal profile, provocative photos on a dating website, candid shots of underage drinkers at a party, fuzzy images of celebrities doing scandalous things � all of these can cause problems, often doing damage before a person even knows what happened. A few bad decisions out on the town with friends can turn into a public spectacle by morning.

When Blogging, Beware

Blogging is a popular contemporary Internet phenomenon. It�s the chronological publication of personal thoughts and web links on a frequent basis. A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the web, a kind of hybrid web diary.

There are as many types of blogs as there are people. Type in the word �blog� on Google, and it will pull up more than 74,600,000 possible hits. Just as with most everything else, there is good blogging and bad blogging, and it is never a good idea to reveal too much information to such a vast audience. Some bloggers reveal their names, email addresses, mobile numbers, age, hobbies, name of school or workplace, weekly schedule, habits, photographs, or residence. This is personal and private data that can very easily get into the wrong hands.

The Internet can give many people a false sense of security and privacy, but users should never assume that just family and friends will view a certain personal blog, web page, or posted image. The Internet does not offer anonymity, yet many users behave as if they cannot be seen. Information or photos placed on the web are rarely private.

The Internet is a great resource and serves many positive functions, but it�s still important to guard your privacy and make wise decisions when it comes to your web activities.