Think Before Posting Your Info Online

Details Put On Sites Such As 'Facebook' Could Come Back To Haunt You

(CBS)  On the heels of the Federal Trade Commission issuing its first alert to parents and kids about the potential dangers of social interaction online, The Early Show national correspondent Tracy Smith points to another potential pitfall of posting personal information on the Internet.

In the third and final installment of the series "Too Much Information" on Wednesday, Smith explains that what you say about yourself, photos you share, and similar actions could haunt you for years.

When you create a profile on popular Web sites such as MySpace or Facebook, Smith says you're sharing pictures and intimate details with millions of people; not only friends, but also police, the FBI, parents, teachers, prospective employers, pornographers, advertisers, even the media.

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Smith spoke with University of Washington students Courtland Beale and Abhi Banerjee, who are being probed by the school as a result of pictures Beale posted of a Super Bowl party in Beale's university apartment in February. The images were put onto Facebook, a popular social networking site for students.

The pictures showed cups from which school officials presumed alcoholic beverages were being consumed.

A week later, a housing administrator saw the pictures and opened an inquiry.

The investigation into underage drinking led to a summons and penalties, which led to discussions about eviction. But, angered by the ordeal, Beale picked up and moved out.

"I don't need a pair of eyes, you know, on me, when I'm inside my apartment," he told Smith.

Facebook, the collegiate version of MySpace, limits membership to those with e-mail addresses ending with "edu."

Beale gave access to his profile to thousands of students, and even faculty, but not the administrative staff. They looked anyway.

"I feel," Beale says, "that the staff has basically taken the lock on the diary, and taken bolt cutters and just snapped it to, you know, look to see what we're doing, which I don't think is right."

"It's kind of like big brother," says Banerjee. "They're spying on us or whatever. … It's a policing action."