Information and Social Networking Security Comparison Essay

Information for various institutions needs to be kept secure to prevent any unauthorized access. Several organizations strive to maintain their data secure to maintain public safety, protect national security, and prevent intrusions on privacy. More so, businesses regard information as critical to their success (Karson, 2015). Therefore, the assignment focuses on a comparison of the security needs between social networking sites such as Facebook and e-commerce sites such as eBay.

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Social networking sites protect their users from unauthorized people who may intend to access their private information. For instance, Facebook has a feature that allows its users to see the applications that had accessed their accounts. The information obtained by the unauthorized users may be used to destroy the reputation of the person targeted (Shin, 2010). However, e-commerce sites need to protect their information from unauthorized access by its rival firms. Every business uses its information to gain a competitive edge. Hence, they will be disadvantaged if their information is accessed by their competitors.

Social sites keep personal data about their users. The type of data includes information about the people they relate to and the kind of messages that they share within the sites. Also, the people who access the information are those who are interested in the person and follow every message that he or she shares (Barnes, 2006). On the other hand, the people who access information on e-commerce are various stakeholders who are interested in the business such as suppliers, consumers, and regulatory bodies. The data provided includes information about the kind of products that the business sales, the type of its consumers, and the entity's location.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the information security needs for e-commerce is more important than that of social sites because it contains data about the operations of the business, which may give competitors an edge when illegally accessed. The users of social sites are individuals who are interested in news that is provided by other members (Mayfield, 2008). The information provided is intended to inform people about current affairs. On the other hand, those who may want to access information on e-commerce illegally are rival companies that are interested in gaining a competitive advantage in the market. Such information may include the kind of suppliers, consumers, products, and prices that are charged by its rival (Jarupunphol & Mitchell, 2002). E-commerce sites keep more crucial data than social networking sites. Therefore, e-commerce sites need more information security than social networking sites.

References

Barnes, S. B. (2006). A privacy paradox: Social networking in the United States. First Monday, 11(9).

Jarupunphol, P., & Mitchell, C. J. (2002). E-commerce and the media-Influences on security risk perceptions. In Internet Technologies, Applications and Societal Impact (pp. 163-173). Springer, Boston, MA.

Karson, E. J. (2015). Exploring a Valid and Reliable Scale of Consumer Privacy and Security Concerns on the Internet and their Implications for E-Commerce. In Proceedings of the 2002 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 104-109). Springer, Cham.

Mayfield, A. (2008). What is social media?

Shin, D. H. (2010). The effects of trust, security, and privacy in social networking: A security-based approach to understanding the pattern of adoption. Interacting with computers, 22(5), 428-438.