When Mark Zuckerberg and his accomplices created Facebook, I bet it never crossed their quirky genius minds that it could be a network cited as (unofficial) grounds for divorce, or even a subtle swipe at a dysfunctional marriage.

The battle between Facebook and “happily ever after” began a long time ago when the world’s favorite social networking enabled photo tagging, check-ins and increased confusion over the control of personal data.  Will recent Facebook updates increase social networking site’s 1 out of 5 contribution to divorce cases borne out of irreconcilable claims as reported by Wall Street Journal?

Photo Tagging and Dissolution of Trust

How many times have you seen yourself accused of unfaithfulness just for being tagged in a photo with a by-passer who was accidentally included in the frame?  Or were you one of those who were tagged in a photo from who-knows-when was it taken and then suddenly confronted with an issue of infidelity?  I know of people seriously quarrelling to the point of ending what was a nearly perfect relationship because of Facebook’s photo-tagging feature. Good thing the folks at Facebook realize the importance of tightening privacy settings in the social networking platform, now allowing users to halt photo tagging without permission.

GPS: Guess Who’s Cheating?

GPS is a space-based navigation system that essentially provides information on where a person is located at a certain point in time.  We heard of this in movies and television series where authorities use GPS to track down criminals.  But in real life, it could actually be used to see patterns of cheating.  GPS became an instrument to a UK fellow to discover that his wife is cheating on him.  Through the Tom Tom Go model 700 GPS, he was able to record his wife’s frequent whereabouts—that led him to the sad conclusion of their marriage.  Following this heartbreaking incident, this man is selling his ex-wife’s GPS device for a whopping £10,000,000 on eBay.  Is this incident a prelude of what could possibly be the use of Facebook check-in GPS? Let the social trust decide.

Security Beyond Facebook

Not just Facebook, but social media in general grays the line between the virtual and the real worlds.  A few weeks ago we featured two recent events that transpired in Mexico: the gruesome murder of two unknown bloggers and a possible 30-year sentence for two men that spread terror within the Twitter world.  The recent updates in Facebook and Timeline are causing a worldwide stir, as scams and hoaxes plagued the social networking site.

People cause divorce, and not Facebook.  While this is true, we cannot depart from the fact that social media has gone through some of the deepest tunnels of our personal lives.  For me, Facebook and Twitter became an outlet of what my quiet personality and bold heart feel about the world. What I could not discuss upfront, I could post or tweet in just a few clicks. For others, social media serves a range of purposes: from advertising, job hunting, background checks for employment, reuniting with high school pals, dating, gaming, blogging etc.

We live in a changed world where much of our information is available, and is being leveraged, beyond our knowledge or direct influence.  It can be a scary thought, but it’s one all of us must deal with if we’re to use connected devices in any way.  While Facebook itself can’t be blamed for breaking up marriages, it has revealed another side of human nature, making us all accountable in ways we hardly imagined just a few short years ago.